Amongst the Soaring Feathers
by Golden.Starlight
Summary: After discovering the news of a tragedy having befallen on a comrade, Mikan one day encounters a crimson-eyed boy with a shroud of mystery just waiting to be unravelled... if only he would let her. A somewhat light yet suspenseful, slice of life plot-driven fanfic. AU, no OCs.
1. First Feather: Takeoff

Heeeey everyone! It's Sakura-tan here! I'm back with another self-project, but of course this time I will be getting Kyoko-tan to edit (in which I am _very_ grateful for)! I came up with this idea out on a whim (as always) and extrapolated on it, so here it is.

Just as a note, the names of the Islands and Regions in this fanfiction were made completely by own ideas with no references. If they seem to have a relation to anything, it is _purely_ coincidental.

Yes I'm going to stop rambling now, and let you readers read. (I have nothing to say anyways…)

Read, review and enjoy. :)

- Sakura-tan

**Writer: **Sakura-tan  
**Editor: **Kyoko-tan  
**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice does not belong to us, but to Higuchi Tachibana. :)

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_In the vast skies, resides the region of Cordellia. Cordellia consists of three islands: the grand island of Leannia, the elegant Prellia, and the peaceful yet mysterious Syannia. Mikan, __a Guardian of Prellia, _having heard of the tragic news of the loss of a comrade encounters a crimson-eyed boy with a shroud of mystery just waiting to be unravelled. That is, if only he would let her unravel it.

_This is a slice of life, yet plot-driven fanfiction, which is somewhat light-hearted, suspenseful and dark, with a few waves of romance._

* * *

_~First Feather: Takeoff_

* * *

"Good morning!" a brunette called to her friend, who just walked through the wooden classroom doors.

"Morning," her stoic friend replied as she passed by her, towards her seat. "Did you do your homework?"

"Eh? We had homework?" The young brunette looked up at her friend as she closed her sketchbook. "Y-you're joking, right?"

"... Why would I joke about this, stupid Mikan," her friend retorted, throwing her books onto the desk for class that was about to start—math class, to be more precise. "I'm assuming you didn't do it?"

"I swear we didn't have any Hotaru!" Mikan completely disregarded her friend's previous remark as she rummaged through her schoolbag before retrieving the doodled-up school planner. She quickly skimmed through the pages, desperate to know if her claim was correct. "Aha! See, I only wrote 'Test on Monday.'! It doesn't say anything about homework over the weekend!" She confidently pointed to where she wrote it to her black-haired friend.

"You told me on Friday that you would write it down during lunch because you were running late for your stupid council meeting, smart one," Hotaru retaliated roughly, "or do you not remember?"

Mikan tapped her planner against her chin, trying to recall the incident. "Oh, right, yeah I remember now." Mikan simply shrugged before sitting back into her seat. "Ah well, not like I can do anything now..."

Hotaru knew that Mikan only seemed calm on the inside, but she was probably frantically thinking of an excuse she _hasn't_ used before for when the teacher does the homework check.

"_This'll be interesting..."_ Hotaru gave a small sneer as the bell rang for school to commence.

All of the students sat down in their seat as the teacher walked in.

Prellia National Academy was the most prestigious school in the whole island of Prellia. Of course, the school admittance standards are not only academic-wise (if it were, Mikan wouldn't be here), but also athletics, etiquette, street smarts... basically, how one handles oneself. Although one would think of it as a "rich" school when the word "prestigious" pops in, monetary status was completely disregarded in terms of getting into the Academy.

The building itself was pretty typical, with its three floors and sturdy brick walls. On the other hand though, the classrooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums—and yes even the washrooms—along with every other room in the school were sparkling clean and sanitized every day. The food was decent, just a little bit above average, people from other less prestigious schools would probably say.

The one advantage of the school was that the fields were quite large. It included 4 baseball diamonds, two swimming pools, and countless tennis, basketball, badminton (and pretty much any other sport you could probably name) courts.

Yes, the school itself was quite above average.

"Students, take your homework out," the teacher demanded as he started walking down the aisle, his thick, yet stylish black boots clacking against the cleanly wiped floors as he did so.

Mikan gazed frantically at her friend sitting beside her, her facial expression screaming, "What should I do?" as the teacher made his way down the classroom.

Hotaru didn't reply, but simply gave her friend a device that seemed like a normal cloth. Mikan has used it too many times though to be fooled. It was a cloth that you could simply rub over the question sheet, and when you wipe it on a blank sheet of paper, it'll write down the answers to the question.

"Thanks!" Mikan mouthed as she quickly took out her math binder and did the routine. She smiled an innocent smile as the teacher came by.

"Finished?" The teacher eyed her suspiciously.

"Yep!" Mikan cheerfully stated, mentally thanking her best friend once more. Now it was all up to her to _show_ that she _did_ do it, not just cheated with a piece of cloth. The only way she could get caught would be if she would get sent up to the boa—

"Okay, then please answer the first question I put on the board." Before Mikan could even retort, the teacher's attention went to her friend beside her. "Did you do your homework Imai?"

Mikan facedesked, realizing the predicament she got herself into.

"_I guess this is why we learned not to lie in elementary school..."_

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Finally, lunch!" Mikan cried as she burst through the door to the roof with her lunch and friend behind her. "This morning was brutal!"

"You're lucky I helped with your question on the board or you wouldn't be here, stupid," Hotaru stated as bluntly as ever.

"Yeah, thanks Hotaru," Mikan responded gratefully as she walked up to the railings of the rooftop, and took a deep inhale of the fresh air as the wind blew against them. Her hair flew freely with the wind as it did so.

Her best friend didn't bother replying and just sat down on the bench to eat her lunch.

"It's so pretty! I love how we can see so much of Cordellia from here," Mikan commented peacefully as she observed her surroundings. "I think that small dot over there is Leannia, right?" Mikan asked Hotaru behind her as she pointed straight in front of her.

Cordellia, was one of the largest regions in the vast landscape of the celestial blue atmosphere. In this region included Prellia, where Mikan and Hotaru resided. Prellia was well known for its grand festivals and dances. It was the second largest island of the three in this expanse.

Leannia, being the largest, was greatly known for its size. It was well known for its Arts; majority of the best musicians, artists, actors and actresses resided there. Because of that, most of the schools there offered the Arts program to its students.

Mikan was so concentrated on the scenery that she didn't notice that her violet-eyed friend had walked up beside her.

"Yeah, it is."

"We should fly there later," Mikan suggested, receiving a shrug from her friend as a reply to her suggestion. Hotaru was used to Mikan's constant ideas on what to do after school.

Cordellia, and in fact the whole azure sky, can travel freely from island to island for visits. Each citizen has their own 'feather', which is simply what it means. When one was to equip it onto their wrist, a ring forms on their middle finger, which is attached to their feather (which was attached to their wrist like a bracelet) by a thin golden chain. With this, wings are formed on their back and they are given the ability to fly. The colour of the ring was a simple, bright gold. Guardians with an element have their colour based on the it.

"If we have time," Hotaru glared at her, clearly not happy with the incident that occurred that morning, "and I might have to go to Prellia headquarters to check something in the database tonight."

Mikan pouted at her friend. "Fine fine..." Mikan finally sat down onto the floor and took out her lunch. "Is there something wrong?" she asked on a whim. "Your companion Guardian and friend's here to help!" Mikan cheerfully replied.

Guardians are citizens of the islands that have special powers, as it was clearly demonstrated that morning with Hotaru's invention.

There are only two Guardians on each island, and they are people that have been specially chosen by the feathers. Cordellia has the strongest Guardians, because it was the only region that has Guardians who have powers that consist of an element and a weapon that can be willed to appear and disappear based on the feeling of the user. While the 'normal' citizens have feathers of a white with a shade of light yellow in it, Guardians have feathers that were purely white.

Basically, one would think that they were invincible: they can fly and they have a power and weapon in the palm of their hands while majority don't,but there was one trick. While normal citizens can just obtain a new feather when their own breaks, Guardians don't have that privilege. Although their feathers are hard to shatter, in the event that it does, they themselves would _disappear_, leaving everything behind. This is also the case if one's feather is removed from their wrist while still transformed (again, that was also hard to come by though).

"Although your power is useful Mikan, your power won't help in this instance stupid." Hotaru sighed. "I just need to check up something in the database."

"Yeah yeah..." Mikan took a small bite into her onigiri. "I guess I'll go there by myself then."

The two sat there in comfortable silence for a while. Even though Mikan had been in this school for years, she would still marvel at the exotic plants that grew up on the school rooftop. The quiet chirps of birds and other students chattering made Mikan feel happy and calm. It gave her the time to think and just... get away from the stresses of life.

That was, at least, until the bell rang.

Mikan groaned at sound of the tolls that seemed to just _want_ to break the peaceful time she had in the last hour.

Mikan quickly glanced at her friend, who also didn't look too happy that the second half of school was starting once again. She stuffed her empty brown paper bag into her side bag and walked casually with her friend downstairs to the third floor.

Once they were in the school, Mikan could tell that something was slightly off. Way too many people were talking to each other on the side of the hallways, when they would usually be speedily shuffling to class or their lockers.

She turned to the inventor queen beside her. She appeared to have also noticed the strange atmosphere around them too. The two were walking to biology class when a couple of their middle school friends ran up to them. The two had a distraught look.

"Nonoko, Anna!" Mikan greeted, while the two other friends tried to catch their breath from running. "Why is everyone not going to class? Is there an assembly or something?"

"No," Anna, pink-head responded as she caught her breath, "something bad has happened, and it's broadcasted all over the news!"

"... What do you mean?" Hotaru's eyes narrowed, her grip on her shoulder-strap bag subconsciously tightened. She didn't have a good feeling about this, and neither did the brunette standing beside her, who was hoping to calm the two friends in front of them down.

"A Guardian—" Anna started.

"—disappeared!" Nonoko, the blue-haired girl finished off.

At this, Mikan's and Hotaru's eyes widened simultaneously, disturbed by the news. The one and only time a Guardian has ever disappeared was when they read a story in English class, and it was only a made-up legend.

"What...?" Hotaru couldn't even comprehend for a second what their friends announced.

Mikan glanced at her friend beside her, clearly filled with worry while the inventor surveyed the girls that told them the alarming news. This had to be a joke. Who could possibly...?

"If you guys think we're joking," Anna clearly noticed the two friends' disbelieving eyes, "then come here." She ushered them into their Arts and Technology class. She pointed to where the flat screen TV hooked up onto the top corner of the room situated. They were on the news channel.

"**Breaking News: Guardian of Syannia Disappeared after Unexpected Attack." **

"Wait, what?" Nonoko shouted in shock at the headlines. "_Syannia_?"

"What do you mean?" Mikan questioned her, confused to why her _friend_ was expressing confusion.

"They didn't mention that before. They only told us that a Guardian in _Cordellia_ disappeared. Since a Guardian from _Syannia_ disappeared, that makes everything a whole lot worse!"

Mikan and Hotaru understood what they meant by that. Syannia, although the smallest island of the three, was well known for having the strongest Guardians for generations and generations. What's more, was that Syannia was the only island in this solar system right now that has _both_ Guardians with elemental powers. In Prellia, only one of the two Guardians have an elemental power, the one being Mikan. Because of the wide gap in power, she is declared as leader, whereas if the two Guardians are elementals or both non-elementals, there wouldn't be one.

All of this is common knowledge amongst the citizens, however citizens who are not Guardians cannot see the pure white feathers; they see it as a normal feather with the small yellow tinge like everyone else.

The two young ladies noticed the atmosphere around them had got even more tense with the new information that they just received. The two disregarded that though, as they were too immersed from the headline.

"_What could have possibly happened?" _Hotaru and Mikan thought simultaneously. Their thoughts were disrupted when a staff member came into the classroom to call the students to go to their next period classes.

"Students, go to your classes! They're going to commence in five minutes."

"We'll see you guys later," Anna added before the brunette and her friend left to biology. Mikan just gave a small smile before they left the room.

"Mikan," Hotaru started as they sat down in their respective seats, "cancel your plans to Leannia. We're going to the headquarters after school to check out what happened with Narumi and the remaining Syannia Guardian."

"Yeah," Mikan muttered, still distressed by the sudden news. Hotaru noticed her friend's change of mood from her usual overly-bubbly one.

"Don't worry Mikan, we'll solve this problem. After all, haven't we always?" Hotaru gave a small smile as Mikan glanced at her, slightly surprised at Hotaru's sudden signs of affection. Mikan gave a small smile before calming down and taking out her books.

"Yep."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

The last set of bells for the day triggered Mikan to almost sprint out of the girls' changeroom, hoping to depart the school as soon as possible to the headquarters. She just couldn't take her mind off of the news of one of her fellow Guardians disappearing. Sure, she hadn't met him/her, but she feels this certain attachment to all of them. A comrade... gone...

Mikan shook her head to remove that thought that made her want to vomit.

When she got to her locker, she already noticed Hotaru was almost done packing. She got the hint that her friend had probably ran as fast as she did, except out of her chemistry classroom.

Mikan stuffed the last book into her shoulder bag before putting on her light dark blue spring jacket and lavender waterproof boots. She put on her black, warm beret to complete her outfit and quickly locked her locker. She turned to her friend who was already standing beside her, ready to depart.

"Let's go," Mikan commanded, before they treaded off to their destination.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"We're here," Mikan said in contentment before slipping her feather out onto her palm. She turned to her friend, and they both nodded to each other when they activated their feathers. From there, Mikan slipped out her ring and put her hand against a normal looking tree in front of her. Her hand glistened for a few moments, and then a large, transparent-seeming structure appeared before them.

Hotaru opened the door, and they anxiously walked into the building.

The hallways lit up as they walked through it, and after a long while, they stopped for a few moments at two large glass doors, which split open with minimal noise when it sensed the two Guardians.

"Hello," a monotonous voice startled the two young ladies. The two automatically brought out their weapons. Mikan had her two daggers in hand, while Hotaru quickly launched her bow.

"Who's there?" Mikan stated confidently as she scanned the room.

"We're over here," another prince-ly sounding voice responded as the two girls walked into the open meeting room. One was sitting on top of the computer desk, on the side of the room, while the other was sitting on the chair in front of the screen. "Sorry for intruding."

Mikan and Hotaru dropped their defences when they saw the pure white feathers on their wrists. The two boys in front of gave a small bow before they approached them. One had blond hair, while the other had hair just a couple shades darker than Mikan's light brown hair.

"We were waiting for a bit outside your headquarters, but we didn't expect you two to take so long," the stoic-looking, brown haired boy spoke as he leaped off the table. "We're from Leannia."

At this, Mikan and Hotaru dropped (well they made them disappear) their weapons. Mikan smiled brightly. "We're the Guardians of Prellia, sorry about that small scene there..." Mikan sweatdropped in embarrassment.

"No, it's fine. We were sort of expecting it since we kind of barged in here without your consents," the blond chuckled. Mikan gave a small laugh as well.

"I'm Sakura Mikan, Air, or nullification if you prefer. This is my partner and subordinate, Imai Hotaru, who has invention. It's nice to meet my fellow Guardians!" Mikan shouted with enthusiasm at the last sentence.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Nogi Ruka, animal pheromone. I'm the subordinate of this younger man here—"

"—I'm just several months younger," the boy retorted as he puffed his cheeks, making the Prellia captain and Ruka chuckle slightly.

"Anyways, this is Hijiri Youichi. He has the Dark, or one can say more specifically, spiritual manipulation."

"Why are you guys here today?" Mikan questioned, but mentally slapped herself, wondering why the heck she asked that when the answer was so painfully obvious.

Ruka noticed her facial expression falter slightly, and gave another prince-like smile. "We're here because of the news which you girls have probably heard." Ruka gave a sad, small smile, as did Mikan. "It's so sad that one of our comrades..."

"Mhm," Mikan muttered, not wanting her new friend to complete the sentence. "It's really tragic."

"Well, as expected that it would be breaking news there," another sudden voice was heard amongst them.

"Na-Narumi!" Mikan stuttered as the four friends turned to the screen in front of them. "Since when were you—"

"Just a few moments ago, when Ruka told you that I called them here. You know, you two should learn to actually pick up your receivers when I call you..." Narumi glanced at the two girls.

"I was in gym class," Mikan made an excuse, putting her arms up as if she was just caught for a crime.

"I was in the middle of a test," Hotaru added harshly, not even bothering to make eye contact with the blond hair man. She just continued to munch on her tuna sandwich, which appeared to have popped out of nowhere.

"... Fair enough." Narumi sighed, wondering why he always gave in to these excuses.

Narumi was another Guardian, and he has pheromone like Ruka, but on humans. He doesn't reside in Cordellia, but in Barrania, a close relative of Cordellia. Even though he doesn't have an elemental power, he was the most experienced in terms all of the Guardians. He was like a teacher, one could say. Alongside him, was another—

"Finally Imai and Sakura, you're finally here. Do you have any idea how long you two made us all wait?" A voice boomed through the speakers, making Mikan fall on her butt from surprise.

... Even though she should've been used to it by now.

"Jin-jin!" Mikan shouted, half startled and half happy to see him. "You scared us!"

—Jinno, or who Mikan calls "Jin-jin", has electricity as his power. Pretty straightforward, he also reigned over an island in Barrania, the same island as Narumi.

"Yes he does~!" Narumi commented playfully as he poked his cheek teasingly. "He just misses you guys and gals!"

The four teens in the Prellia headquarters sweatdropped.

"_Right..."_

"Anyways, can we discuss what's going on with the disappeared Guardian right now? I'm actually busy tonight with homework and I want to sleep." Hotaru glared at the two people in the screen, who were arguing (or Jin-jin ridiculing Narumi to be more exact).

"Yes yes," Narumi calmed down and ushered the teens to sit down. From there, the four teens sat silently while Narumi and Jinno seemed to be getting some facts straight before starting.

"Wait, where's the other Syannia Guardian?" Ruka asked. "I thought he was going to come to the meeting now too...?"

"_Hmm, so the remaining one is a guy?" _Mikan subconsciously thought to herself from the exchange of words.

"Oh, that's one thing that we were going to talk about. It seems that the signal on him was lost, or he's not transformed," Narumi commented simply. "I'm pretty certain that he'd be transformed though, since his partner disappeared on him. This isn't an everyday thing."

"Which is why you guys are here," Jin-jin added. "You guys will go to Syannia and find him. Ask him what happened and report it to us, or get him to tell us what happened."

"Okay," Ruka and Mikan responded simultaneously.

"Where do you expect us to find him?" Youichi summoned his wand, getting prepared for takeoff. Mikan temporarily dropped the situation at hand to awe at his weapon. It had a nice intricate design, the two ends were sphere-shaped, the rod just over twice the size of her daggers. It had a mix of black, dark purple and grey splotches, giving the vibe of his power: dark.

"I think going to the headquarters would be a good first place to go. Ruka's been there before, so he'll bring you guys there," Narumi replied.

"Yup," Ruka agreed. "Anything else?"

"No, not really. You guys have gone to Syannia before I presume?"

"Yeah," the four teens all muttered, starting to get a little restless as they wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Okay, then you guys and gals may leave."

With that the four teens all went to the top floor of the building. They glanced at each other, each giving a curt nod to indicate that they're ready to depart.

With a flap of their wings, they soared off into the air, with Mikan leading the way.

"_We're coming, Syannia Guardian. Wait for us!"_

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"I've been here tons of times, but I still get amazed by the beautiful greenery around us," Mikan muttered to herself, as she picked off a small four leaf clover form the ground. "Look look Hotaru!" Mikan cried before she got smacked in the face with a branch.

"Nice Mikan," Youichi rolled his eyes, meaning to tease the Prellia captain.

"That hurt," Mikan grumbled as she rubbed her nose.

"Looked like it did," Ruka chuckled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Mikan smiled her typical overly-bubbly smile. "Are you sure you know where you're going, Ruka-kun?"

"Yeah, no worries. Strangely enough, I can still remember exactly how to get there even though I last visited the headquarters a couple years ago. I haven't stepped foot here since."

"Ooh," Mikan responded. "I just hope he's okay. I haven't even met the other Guardian, and I'm sad that we lost him... or her."

"It's a 'her'," Ruka glanced back at Mikan, who was just barely managing to keep up with the animal pheromone boy because of the narrow tracks. "Hyuuga Aoi, was her name."

"How did you know her name?" Mikan asked obliviously as she jumped over a fallen tree.

"I did a little research with your computers while we were waiting, sorry," Ruka admitted. "She had the element of water. She was really pretty."

"She must've been!" Mikan cried with astonishment. She visualized an elegant water maiden, her long hair flowing in the wind as she played the harp, sitting on a rock in the ocean. Hotaru's eye twitched, being able to tell that Mikan was conjuring up another one of her fantasies.

"Mhm, she was," Ruka responded quietly and sadly. Mikan and her fellow Prellia Guardian noticed the gloomy atmosphere around him.

"A-are you okay?" Mikan hesitated slightly, not knowing what to say to someone she pretty much _just_ met.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, it's just that... the two Guardians of Syannia... they were siblings."

Mikan felt her heart freeze momentarily.

"_Wait... so then that means that..." _Mikan slowed down in her steps, and they eventually came to a complete stop when the others saw her lagging behind. Her eyes were covered by her bangs, forbidding her best friend from surveying her facial expression.

"M-Mikan?" Hotaru went up to her, concerned.

"Wait, are you saying that the Syannia Guardian just lost a companion _and_ a family member?" Mikan whispered.

"I-I guess," Ruka responded, now understanding why the brunette was so upset. "M-Mikan, h-he—"

"That's terrible!" Mikan looked up at them with a determined face, her hands clenched into tight fists. "We're going to go find him, now."

Before any of the other Guardians could muster out a word, Mikan was already scrambling in front of them. Ruka sweatdropped, wondering if she knew where she was going. His internal question was answered when she came back, blushing from embarrassment.

"Lead the way, Ruka."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Okay, we're here," Ruka answered, "... I think..."

The four friends stood in horror as they saw shattered glass cover the green grass. Rubble and toppled down trees surrounded them.

"What... happened?" Youichi sputtered quietly as he crouched down, retrieving a piece of glass and trying to survey the surroundings for the signs of the missing Syannia Guardian.

"Well, it seems that the headquarters suffered a little bit of damage, but not too much in which a few hours of fixing can't do."

"Yeah." Mikan looked around, assessing the damage as well. The luscious greenery that they saw before approaching to the scene seemed so distant to them now.

"It's pretty obvious that someone deliberately stole Aoi's feather," Hotaru commented a little too directly. Mikan flinched slightly as she said that.

"Yeah. It seems that a fight happened around here," Ruka agreed as he stood up and sighed.

Their thoughts were interrupted when the four Guardians sensed someone coming at them. Mikan saw a shadow quickly descending on her and she quickly took out her weapon, and jumped to the side. It was just in time, because a large blast of the earth exploded in front of her, causing her to cough from the thick, musty air.

"What was that?" Mikan cried as she drew her daggers out, and noticed Hotaru's arrow at ready as well. She couldn't tell what the guys were doing as they were on the other side of the foggy air.

"Leave," a voice commanded thickly, putting Mikan at a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" Mikan called.

"Someone who will cut your life short if you don't leave." A boy that looked around their age emerged into the clearing with a large grey and red gleaming weapon.

"_What the...?"_

_~First Feather: Takeoff, End_

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So how was it? :) Interesting? Confusing? Boring? (Well it was the first chapter after all...) Please, review and tell me what you think of this. I won't release the next chapter until I get at least _two_ reviews! That's not that bad, right?

- Sakura-tan, goldenstarlight at wordpress. (url on profile).


	2. Second Feather: Friends

And finally, chapter 2. Yes, you all probably know who the mysterious lad at the end of chapter 1 was, right? Either way, you'll know now! (Really, who _didn't_ know who he was? It was implied so heavily, it was pretty much explicitly stated…)

Anyhow, read and review! :)

- Sakura-tan

**Writer: **Sakura-tan  
**Editor:** Kyoko-tan  
**Disclaimer:** Would you so kindly refer to chapter 1? Thanks. -evil smile-

* * *

"_Who are you?!" Mikan called._

"_Someone who will cut your life short if you don't leave." A boy that looked around their age emerged into the clearing with a large grey and red gleaming weapon._

* * *

_~Second Feather: Friends_

* * *

The two pairs of Guardians stared at the mysterious lad, perplexed and troubled.

"_What the…?"_ Mikan dropped her defenses slightly, unbeknownst to her.

Mikan glanced at the boy with the scythe in front of her. He was wearing a midnight blue, thick sweater with a red t-shirt (almost the same shade as his eyes) underneath. His dark blue jeans were covered with dust and torn in random places. Mikan couldn't decipher if it was from the injuries he sustained or if it was just the style.

What alarmed the brunette the most were his physical features. They were quite different and perverse. He had jet black hair; his hair was a shade of black darker than she had ever seen in her life. His stoic crimson, blood-red eyes frightened her. She swore that he was probably wearing contacts (because the color seemed so artificial), but her conscience told her otherwise.

Despite the minimal presence of emotion from the lad, she could tell that he wasn't too happy with their trespassing.

Mikan's train of thought was disrupted when the crimson eyed boy glared at her.

"So are you going to listen to me or what." His voice expressed no emotion, but Mikan could tell that he was getting impatient when he tightened his grip on his large weapon. It was just slightly taller than him; the blade glistened in the sunlight, making it seem even more menacing than it already was. The holder of the weapon didn't make it seem any more harmless either.

"Wait, are you the remaining Syannia Guardian?" Ruka attempted to break the contact between Mikan and the raven haired lad. This was not a greeting he and his friends were expecting.

"Yes, and you guys are in the way." Ruka couldn't even respond to the Syannia Guardian's remark when he realized that he was getting charged at.

The blond just stood there dumbfounded at the oncoming onslaught when his captain threw him to the ground.

"Ruka, pay attention," Youichi calmly (yet firmly) told him before getting off the shaken lad.

"I'm sorry…" Ruka rubbed his head after he had made contact against the glass shattered earth.

"What are you doing?!" The two Leannia Guardians heard from behind them. "We are just trying to help!" They noticed that it was Mikan hollering as she made her way towards them. "You didn't even give us a chance to speak!"

The boy just stood there, looking emotionlessly at the furious brunette. The fact that he didn't seem to be the least frightened annoyed her even more.

"Say sorry, you idiot!" Mikan was about to launch at him with her daggers when she felt herself being held back. She turned to see that it was her subordinate. "Hotaru, let me go!"

Again, her friend ignored the hazel-eyed girl's comment. She simply continued surveying the Syannia Guardian in front of them, who was still looking at them distantly.

"We were sent here by Narumi. He told us that you may need some assistance."

They noticed his face scrunch up in distaste before he muttered an inaudible curse. "Tell him that I don't need help. I'm fine. Now leave."

"Can you at least tell us your name?" Mikan sighed in defeat, the inventor having already let go of her.

"Would that make you guys leave?" Once again, the boy gazed icily at the crowd of friends in front of him, more specifically at Mikan.

"Goodness, you're so stubborn," Mikan muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is this how all Syannia Guardians treat the other Guardians that want to help them?"

The raven-haired lad's eye twitched in annoyance.

"I told you idiot that I'm fine. What else do I need to say to get through that thick head of yours?" the boy growled.

The three friends just continued watching the harsh exchange of words between the two. Ruka glanced slowly to the Prellia subordinate and sweatdropped when she looked bemused, as if she planned this all along. As he turned his attention to his captain, he noticed that his eyes gleamed at the Syannia Guardian.

… Was he impressed by the crimson-eyed lad?

Ruka facepalmed, hoping that his conclusion was wrong. He didn't seem like that much of a good role model…

"Your _name_ would be nice!" Mikan retorted back harshly as she pointed at him, her daggers already stashed away. "And could you put that thing away?! It's scaring all of us!"

Natsume glared even harder at her, his grip tightening on the object. Then all of a sudden, he launched himself at her, momentarily startling the brunette. As he was about to strike her, his scythe was caught up by a barrier (meaning a large, strong gust of wind surrounding her) that the hazel-eyed lady put up.

He didn't falter though as he sliced the blade deeper into the shield, hoping to break it and get through to the brunette. His eyed widened temporarily when he saw the determined expression on the brunette.

"_What..!" _Natsume's mind suddenly reeled back in time for a quick moment.

"_I won't let you!"_

Mikan noticed Natsume's sudden stunned look, before his scythe was suddenly deflected from her shield and he was thrown back. She could just barely hear the gasp her three friends emitted as she had deflected an attack from the Syannia Guardian.

She gave a small sigh of relief when she saw him do a quick backflip and his feet landed onto the ground in a precise motion. It wasn't her intention to hurt the lad, and she knew that she would regret doing so, despite the fact that he was the one who first attacked her.

Mikan just continued looking at the crimson eyed boy, whose eyes were now blocked by his hair. His scythe laid in front of him (he dropped it to regain his balance), and he didn't even bother to make a move to picking it up.

The other three friends on the side also glanced at the frozen lad, who was clasping the wrist where his pure white feather was bound to. The four friends broke out of their trance though when finally he bent down to pick up his weapon, not uttering a sound. He turned his back on them. Mikan's eyes didn't tear away from the young lad.

"Wha—"

"It's Hyuuga Natsume, fire element."

"What?" Mikan couldn't even process what was going on.

"You're so stupid. Since you guys won't leave, I'll do the honors." With that, Natsume departed into the skies, leaving the four friends on the ground still trying to process what just happened.

"Hyuuga… Natsume…" Mikan muttered to herself.

"_Hyuuga Aoi, was her name."_

"… _The two Guardians of Syannia... they were siblings."_

Mikan's heart dropped again slightly when Ruka's words replayed in her mind. Who could've possibly stolen her feather? Did they specifically target her? Where was Natsume when this happened? And most of all…

… _why_ did it happen?

"_Only Natsume would have the answers to all—or most—of these questions,"_ Mikan mentally concluded before deciding to pursue the Syannia Guardian. She was about to take off when something on the ground caught her eye.

Her friends noticed Mikan bending down to the Earth below her. Wondering what she was doing, they casually walked towards her.

"You alright Mikan?" Hotaru asked as she bent down beside her, only to freeze, slightly concerned. "Mikan, your hand, did you get hurt when Natsume hit you?" Hotaru held onto Mikan's left hand, which was slightly tinged with blood.

"No… that's not it…" Mikan replied slowly. "This… isn't my blood…" Mikan suddenly remembered the moment when she was staring at the raven-haired lad, his right hand clutching his left one.

"_He couldn't have… got injured? Or even worse… his feather…"_ Mikan thought worriedly.

"Wait, are you saying that Na—" Ruka was cut off when the brunette impulsively rose up from the ground and departed into the sky, heading in the same direction that Natsume took off to.

Hotaru gave a tired sigh. "Not again…" she groaned before taking off as well. She turned back though, and raised a brow. "Are you two coming or what?"

Youichi and Ruka quickly peered at each other and gave a simultaneous shrug before departing into the air, following the two Prellia girls.

"_These girls are so weird," _Youichi contemplated curtly.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Mikan, are you sure you know where he flew off to?" Hotaru asked her friend who she was now flying beside. "He's probably fine, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Mikan whispered, "but I don't think that it's right to just leave him alone here when he's wounded…" Mikan glanced at the ground below her. "There's a clearing up ahead. Let's walk from there."

Hotaru gave a small nod before they did a sharp turn towards the ground below them, the boys following in tow.

The four friends removed their transformation and started treading by foot from then on, and they walked in momentary silence until Mikan spoke up once again.

"I don't believe that he was unaffected from his sister's disappearance." Hotaru understood that Mikan was continuing the conversation that they had in the air a few moments ago.

"Me neither," Youichi agreed, "but he doesn't seem like the person who would just cry on your shoulder when you give him the opportunity to either."

"He isn't," Ruka replied firmly, a little too firmly in fact. He earned a few raised brows directed at him, but he was too immersed in his own thoughts to really react to the questioning stares.

"_Why does Natsume look so familiar…? Have I met him before? And his sister…"_

Ruka halted in the middle of his thoughts when he bumped into Hotaru, who was walking in front of him. He rubbed his nose while muttering an apology more from habit than an actual heartfelt one.

"Pay attention, Nogi," she replied straightforwardly.

"Yeah, sorry about that…" Ruka gave a small embarrassed chuckle before realizing that they had stopped in their tracks. That would explain why he obliviously walked into the girl in front of him. "Why did we stop?"

"Shh," he heard Mikan respond, and Ruka understood the situation. They probably found Natsume. Ruka couldn't help but facepalm though. They were acting as if Natsume were some exotic animal that escaped from its cage and they were trying to bring him back into it.

Mikan, the one leading the way, stopped when she saw the familiar figure in front of them, leaning on a tree trunk, having removed his transformation. He was wrapping gauze around his injury, in which confirmed Mikan's suspicions to be correct (that the wrist that he was clasping onto got injured, not necessarily that someone tried to take his feather).

Natsume tore the bandage by wielding his weapon forward and slicing through it, detaching it from its roll. He patted it down and gave a small sigh of tiredness. As he was about to sit down, he swore he heard a branch snap, like someone just stepped on one.

An animated vein appeared on his forehead when he heard whispers of accusation shortly after. He didn't even need to turn his head to the source to know who it was behind the trees.

"What you guys doing, idiots."

As expected, the sudden chatter stopped, the four friends realizing that they have been caught red handed. Who Natsume identified as the annoying brunette stepped out of their hiding spot first, and then her friends proceeded as well after that.

"Well, it seems that we've been caught... heh heh," Mikan gave a small chuckle and a sweatdrop in awkwardness.

"Haven't I told you guys to go awa—"

"No, you said that you were going to go away. We just simply stalked you," Hotaru replied _way_ too directly, causing her friends' jaws to drop.

"Hotaru you idiot! You weren't supposed to say that!" Mikan burst out before whipping her hand to her mouth, not believing that she just said that with the crimson-eyed lad attentively listening.

Natsume's eyes narrowed in suspicion before commenting harshly, "That's great. Now go away. I gave you what you wanted."

Mikan directed her attention back at the raven-haired lad.

"We were just worried because you were injured!" Mikan stomped towards him and snatched his hand that was bandaged, shocking her friends and the boy she was holding onto. "Look Natsume. We mean no harm, I swear! You're complicating this too much. Just accept our stinking help and deal with it!"

Natsume just stood there for a moment, stunned at the sudden outburst of the brunette that he realized he still didn't know the name of yet. He regained his composure shortly afterwards, realizing the awkward silence that was taking place between the group of Guardians.

"I thought you came here to get information out of me?" Natsume responded coldly, his eyes pierced her menacingly.

"…" Mikan didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't lie and say that it wasn't true…

Natsume, comprehending Mikan's hesitation, retorted accusingly, "I knew it. You guys just wanted the information and report it all to Narumi."

"Wait, Natsu—"

"Am I wrong?" Natsume jerked his hand out of the trembling girl in front of him.

"Well—"

"That would be a 'no'. You're not going to get anything out of me then, since you lied and tried to sweet talk me—"

"No, Natsume! She didn't mean that at all!" Ruka burst out suddenly. The two arguing teens shifted their gazes to the blond haired lad. He stuttered when he realized that everyone was now looking at him. "I-I mean, we really do want to help you. When we heard of the news that your younger sister disappeared, the first thing we wanted to do is to assist you—"

"And how do you know that it was my _younger sister_ that had disappeared?" Natsume crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the tree trunk with an eyebrow raised in question.

"It's because I've met her before," Ruka confidently replied.

"Wha—"

"We've met before too, a couple years ago, Natsume-kun."

"… What?" Natsume muttered once more as Ruka walked up to him. The other three friends had their eyebrows raised in question as well, wondering where Ruka was going with this.

"Do you remember the name 'Nogi Ruka'?"

Natsume just continued gazing at the quivering lad, as if he was inspecting him. After a moment of suspenseful silence, he finally said, "Is that you? The one who got lost two years ago looking for the Syannia headquarters?"

Ruka sweatdropped once again, sensing three pairs of eyes peering teasingly at him, on the brink of laughter from a truth that was revealed about the boy who the Prellia Guardians thought of as 'mature'. He could just _hear_ their internal giggles and teases.

"I wanna know how Ruka got lost," Youichi commanded, making more sweats form over Ruka's forehead. Natsume just stood there stoically, still trying to decipher the strange people in front of him. He acted as if he wasn't the one who had created the comedic atmosphere that had abruptly clouded amongst them.

"But…"

"I wanna know too!" Mikan raised her whole arm straight in the air. Hotaru simply brought her hand up too, indicating that she was interested as well.

"_Why do they want to know so badly?!" _Ruka exclaimed to himself in his head.

"Nee… Ruka…" Youichi gave him an unfazed look, but Ruka could just _see_ the burning aura around him. Why did he have to be so stinking paranoid at their implications? Ruka composed himself, giving a sigh to show his discontentment.

"W-Well, it pretty much happened like this, I should say…"

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

_**2 Years Ago, May, Leannia National High**_

"Ruka-kun, can you deliver a package to the Syannia headquarters?" The sudden request from the Barrania Guardian and leader slightly startled the blond lad, who was in the middle of History class.

He earned a few stares from his classmates as he started panicking from the device in his pocket. He quickly excused himself from class and sprinted out one of the school's side doors, into the fresh spring-like air.

"Oh sorry~! Were you in the middle of someth—"

"_Yes, yes I was_," Ruka growled boldly to Narumi. The leader sensed the burning aura even though he was miles and miles away, only seeing the young freshman through a small device that Ruka seemed to be crushing with his usually weak hands.

Narumi acted as if he was unfazed by the prince's bold remark (and seemingly threat), and just simply replied happily, "I would've asked Youichi, but he had his communicator turned off."

"_Oh I wonder why…"_ Ruka muttered tiredly in his mind, having regained his repose. He simply shook off that thought as he went back to the situation at hand. If he was out for too long, his teacher would get suspicious. "I was in _class_, like every other teen in Cordellia."

"Yes yes, I'm sorry, the students here in Barrania have a day off, so I completely forgot that you guys still had classes," Narumi admitted. "Can you deliver it when you're done for the day then?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. Where is the package?"

"It's in your headquarters. I think the Prellia Guardians sent it to you already."

"Wait, why did they bother sending it to us? Couldn't they have just sent it to Syannia?" Ruka sweatdropped at the simple logic.

"Youichi didn't tell you what it was?" Narumi raised a brow.

"What do you mean?" Ruka did the same gesture, completely dumbfounded now.

"They're the trackers that the Prellia Guardians made for the Cordellia Guardians. You were supposed to have received the package a few days ago." This time, it was Narumi's turn to sound simplistic.

"… Youichi probably forgot to check, I guess. He tends to do that a lot." Ruka sighed.

"Yeah, be sure to notify him regarding that after school then. Take a few of them, and then bring the rest of it to Syannia, okay? They're expecting it later tonight, at the latest. You know where the Syannia headquarters are, right? It's just—"

"Yes I know where the headquarters are, Narumi. Is that all?"

"Yes, you may go to class now."

"Thanks, but I didn't really need your permission for that…" Ruka commented roughly to the leader as he remembered the embarrassing event that had just previously occurred. As he was about to open the school doors to proceed inside, Narumi stopped him once again.

"Wait, I have one more thing to tell you."

"What is it?" Ruka didn't even bother stealing a glance at the device, he just looked at the handle that he was about to pull open the door with.

"Tell Youichi to turn on his communication device next time."

"Yeah yeah…" Ruka simply brushed his hand in the air and flipped off the screen of the device, before casually walking back into the school.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"I'm sorry Ruka, I forgot about the trackers," Youichi apologized monotonously before setting the package onto the maroon table in the Leannia headquarters. Although he didn't sound apologetically, his bow in front of his subordinate made Ruka think otherwise.

"N-no, it's fine," Ruka stammered.

"And I didn't know that I turned off the communicator…" Youichi continued with the same tone of voice as before. "Sorry for making you deal with that weird man."

Ruka gave an embarrassed chuckle at how his captain addressed Narumi. "It's fine, really. I'll go now to drop off the parcel. I did most of my work during lunch anyways."

"Thank you," Youichi gave a seemingly grateful look to the animal pheromone lad.

"No problem." Ruka picked up the package after throwing some of its contents onto the table before flying down the wide hallways and out into the sky, to Syannia.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"_I swear that the Syannia headquarters was here!" _Ruka exasperated mentally to himself as he treaded through greenery. _"If it's not here, then where could it possibly be?!"_

The blond-haired teen walked through a deserted forest with the brown box of trackers, inspecting the area for the signs of the headquarters somewhere. He thought he knew exactly where the headquarters was until he saw buildings paved through that area. Now, he was walking aimlessly through the forest in which he swears he just saw moments ago.

In short, he was lost.

"_At this rate, I'll never get to deliver this package! Asking Narumi is just too much on my reputation!" _Ruka thought irritatingly as he continued walking. Then, he froze in his footsteps when he heard voices in the distance.

"Pass the ball, Mochiage!" he heard a boy command.

Immediately, Ruka ran towards it. When he did, his sprinting came to another eventual stop. He realized that he was in front of a schoolyard. He awed at the large field that the school had; it was bigger than any field he had ever seen. To the side, was a huge building, which he had recognized as a school building from his studies of the island.

"Nice kick, Natsume!" he heard another boy call, interrupting his thoughts.

Ruka quickly turned to the direction that the voices were coming from, but then remembered his task at-hand. He saw a small path to his right just down the gravel that he was standing on, and walked towards it. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a pair of unfazed crimson eyes staring at his fading figure.

"_Which way could it possibly be?!" _Ruka cried in his head as he slumped dejectedly against a tree trunk. _"I'm completely lost!" _He gave a tired and frustrated sigh as he was about to stand back up onto his feet.

"What are you doing," a sudden voice startled Ruka. He was just about to command his staff forward when he realized that shouldn't blow his cover so suddenly. Transforming wasn't the best idea either.

"Y-yes?" Ruka spluttered to the unknown voice as he subconsciously held the package in his possession harder.

The Leannia Guardian noticed a figure slowly emerge from the shadows, his posture showing little interest in what he was doing, yet Ruka knew that the teen would be trouble if he made him angry.

"Well, I was just… uh…" Ruka hesitated gravely. _"I wasn't prepared for this at all!"_ Ruka's mind screamed in fear.

The raven-haired boy casually approached the blond lad with the box, Ruka becoming more and more alarmed at his striking features as he did so. "Well—" Ruka halted in his sentence when he noticed the boy reached his palm out and his pure-white feather appeared in it.

"I'm assuming you're the Leannia Guardian?" The red-eyed boy raised a brow, motioning the teen in front of him to reply.

"Are you the Syannia Guardian?" Ruka asked impulsively.

"No, I'm the Prellia Guardian," he sarcastically responded, rolling his crimson-red eyes. He turned to the right, walking down the path where Ruka just came from. Noticing the Leannia Guardian having not budged from his spot, he turned and looked at him confusingly once more. "You coming?"

"Huh?" Ruka mentally kicked himself for sounding so stupid.

"You're here to deliver the package, am I wrong?" He narrowed his eyes, not in suspicion, but in irritation. Ruka stiffened even more as his facial expression looked even more menacing than it did before.

"Y-yes!" was all he could muster before following the Syannia Guardian.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

Ruka stopped in their steps when he noticed Natsume transform, staring at him wide-eyed due to his abrupt actions (how did this Guardian know that he was looking for the their headquarters, he still didn't know). When Ruka snapped out of his mini-trance, he did the same as well, not wanting to irritate the lad in front of him. The Syannia Guardian then placed his hand onto a tree trunk, and the headquarters appeared in front of him. They proceeded through the doors silently.

Ruka walked slightly behind the boy in front of him, examining him and the surroundings. Before he could say anything though, he heard a high pitched voice call out to them.

"Natsume~!" Shortly after, a younger girl, also with crimson eyes and raven hair appeared through the doors in front of them and tightly hugged the older boy in front of her. "Welcome back~!"

Natsume just stood there, not reciprocating the hug, but Ruka could tell that he was glad to see her partner. Judging from the distinct features of the female Syannia Guardian, Ruka had a strong inkling that they were siblings. The younger girl, noticing the presence of the unexpected guest, subconsciously widened her eyes, gleaming with happiness.

"Who is this Guardian, brother?" the young girl asked her brother innocently, her big, bubbly eyes not tearing away from the Leannia Guardian. Ruka stood behind the two awkwardly, fidgeting with his ring.

"He's the Leannia Guardian delivering the trackers to us. He got lost while looking for this place."

"I was not lost!" Ruka replied quickly. "I was just simply…"

"Awing at the trees?" Natsume finished mockingly.

"… Okay fine I was lost," Ruka muttered quietly, hoping that the Syannia Guardians in front of him didn't hear what he said. He knew that the older teen heard though when a sarcastic snort came about. Ruka noticed the bubblier Guardian eye her brother in slight dissatisfaction before bringing her attention back to him.

"Sorry about my older brother here," she chuckled embarrassingly, her hand scratching the back of her head. She brought out a hand before introducing, "I'm Hyuuga Aoi, and I have water element. This is Hyuuga Natsume, and he has fire element. Nice to meet you… er…"

"Nogi Ruka," the Leannia Guardian greeted before shaking the outstretched hand, "animal pheromone. It's nice to meet you two as well." Ruka handed Natsume the parcel, and was about to depart before Natsume spoke up again, stopping him in his tracks.

"Since you're here, do you want some tea Aoi brewed?"

Ruka's eyes widened at the sudden question that he heard come from Natsume. Was he hearing things? Didn't the fire element lad just make fun of him for getting lost finding the Syannia headquarters?

"It's good!" Aoi hoped to persuade the Leannia Guardian, who she noticed had froze in his steps.

Ruka gave a grateful smile before turning and saying, "Yes, that'd be great!"

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"I _did not_!" Aoi cried to her older brother at his teasing remark. Ruka sat across from the bickering siblings, slightly chuckling.

"Yes, you did," Natsume replied nonchalantly as he took a sip of his tea.

"That was _you_!" Aoi's voice hit a higher note before growling. "Why would I dump water on that teacher?!"

"You told me you hated her."

"Well…" Aoi scowled before turning her face to the side, puffing her cheeks.

Ruka couldn't help but burst out laughing at their bickering, causing the two Syannia Guardians to raise a brow in question.

"What's so funny?" Natsume glared at Ruka, his arms crossed on the table.

"Sorry, it's just that I expected the Syannia Guardians to be so reserved and stiff…"

"What do you mean?" Aoi asked suspiciously at Ruka, who she learned was the same age as her older brother.

"You didn't know? Everyone in Prellia and Leannia thinks so highly of the Syannia Guardians!" Ruka replied loudly.

"What do you mean?" Natsume repeated his sister's remark. Ruka thought they were joking, but their completely confused facial expressions told him otherwise.

"_They don't know the rumours about how the Syannia Guardians are really strong, mysterious and really composed and highly looked up upon?"_ Ruka pondered to himself, stunned. "Everyone thinks of the Syannia Guardians as these really, really strong Guardians that are always lurking about in the shadows and all mysterious and composed!"

"Really?" Aoi's mouth was ajar, surprised at the news. "I never heard _those_ rumours... have you, Natsume?"

"No… not in particular…" he responded casually before taking another sip of tea.

"Well, now you know." Ruka sighed before checking the time from the clock in front of him, high up on the wall. "I think I have to go back now, I have some tasks to finish back at Leannia," he commented before standing up from his seat. "Thanks for the tea!"

"Oh, okay." Aoi stood up as well and walked Ruka down the hallway as his older brother collected the cups and placed it in the sink on the side. "It's nice to have met a fellow Guardian, though it was quite unexpected." Aoi gave a gentle and bubbly smile as Natsume caught up with them.

"Yeah, it was a pleasure to meet you two," Ruka answered. "Thanks for the help today!"

"No no, we should thank you!" Aoi retorted politely. "Thanks for bringing the trackers to us! It's good that we could now keep each other more accountable with these in case an emergency were to arise."

"Yeah, it is." Ruka flashed his princely smile to the two Guardians before giving another wave of departure and flying back into the azure sky.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

_**Present Time, Syannia Forestry**_

"As expected, as expected~" Mikan teased as Ruka retold the story to them. She stuck out a tongue playfully.

"S-shut up!" Ruka stuttered, still ashamed about his simple mistake. Then, he remembered the situation at-hand: persuading Natsume to let them help him.

He noticed the atmosphere take a 180 degree turn when a silent period ensued.

"Aoi… was a really nice girl…" he directed his attention back to the crimson eyed lad, who was staring at him indifferently. Natsume managed to show them that he was unaffected by Ruka's retelling of his sister, who was now… gone.

Natsume contemplated deeply, before talking once more, biting his tongue.

"Aoi… we were talking in the Syannia headquarters when we were attacked."

The other four friends hastily gave their full attention to the crimson eyed boy, whose eyes were currently hidden underneath his hair.

Mikan didn't expect Natsume to tell them so suddenly. "Wait, Natsume—"

"The two of us, we weren't prepared for the attack. The attacker came so quickly that we… couldn't tell what was really happening until he came down and took Aoi's feather. Neither of us even had enough time to react."

"Natsume…" Ruka whispered under his breath, solemnly.

"Now can you guys go?" he said quietly to them. He gave them an unfazed look, but Mikan could immediately tell he wasn't okay.

"_Perhaps we should leave him alone…"_ Mikan thought quietly to herself. Before she could say anything though, she couldn't even react when she quickly saw Natsume's attention advert to something behind him. Then, as quick as a cheetah, he brought out his large weapon and shouted.

"Who's there?"

The four friends glanced confusingly at each other, all thinking simultaneously, _"We didn't hear anything…?"_

However, their suspicions were confirmed when they _did_ hear some rustling shortly afterwards.

"My my, it seems that the Syannia Guardian has very sharp ears. Even amongst all of your chatters, you could hear us creeping up behind you guys?" a male voice teased.

"As expected of the Syannia Guardian to hear us," a woman agreed before emerging from the bushes. Their pure-white feathers caught Mikan's eye, confusing her.

"_... Where did _they_ come from?"_

_~Second Feather: Friends, End_

* * *

Can you guess who these two new Guardians are? (It's pretty obvious when you think about it, I think personally). Well, you'll find out next chapter anyways, but they're obviously not OC's, if I'm asking you readers to guess. :P Read and review please! I hope to get at least 2 reviews until the next update! :)

- Sakura-tan, goldenstarlight at wordpress (blog url on profile).


	3. Third Feather: Departure

Hello, everyone! Sakura-tan here again! As expected, you reviewers were all right with your guesses! -dances-

Anyhow, yes I know this fanfic is a tad bit confusing, with all of its names and places. Because of that, I will give you a small recap… after this chapter. After all, the two "new" characters will be introduced this chapter, and it'd make sense to put them in the summary, right?

For now, whatever questions you have, please review or PM us, or comment on our blog (url on profile). If you're anonymous and send me a review, you won't get a reply until the next chapter update though. :P

/ramble end

Please read then review! :)

- Sakura-tan

**Writer:** Sakura-tan  
**Editor:** Kyoko-tan  
**Disclaimer:** CHAPTER 1.

* * *

"_My my, it seems that the Syannia Guardian has quite sharp ears. Even amongst all of your chatter, you could hear us creeping up behind you guys?" a male voice teased._

"_As expected of the Syannia Guardian to hear us," a woman agreed before emerging from the bushes. Their pure-white feathers caught Mikan's eye, confusing her._

* * *

_~Third Feather: Departure_

* * *

"_... Where did _they_ come from?"_

Mikan and her comrades stood behind Natsume, trying to think of possible reasons for another strange encounter. What confused them the most though, was that they were Guardians. All of the Guardians of Cordellia were accounted for already, so who could these two new ones possibly be?

"Oh, it's just you." Natsume rolled his eyes and his scythe disappeared shortly afterwards. The four friends glanced questioningly at the three Guardians in front of them, wondering what their relationship was.

Mikan examined them carefully: the boy had a tall stature, navy blue hair, and aqua colored eyes. He wore a thin brown sweater underneath a dark green puffy vest, and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. He seemed like the outgoing type.

On the other hand, the girl beside him (who seems to be around the same age), has dark brown hair, with a tinge of red in it. She wore a black high collar, double-breasted jacket that flared out beautifully at the waist, showing her slim figure. Mikan noticed that she was wearing a simple pair of navy blue jeans with brown boots.

All Mikan could really say about them was that they stuck out like a sore thumb with their thick, early-winter like attire.

"Who are you?" Youichi asked openly.

"Oh goodness, we forgot to introduce ourselves!" the boy commented loudly. "I'm Andou Tsubasa, shadow. This lady over here—"

"I'm Harada Misaki, and I have doppelganger," Misaki interrupted curtly. "We're from Annalia, an island in Barrania."

"Oh, you're in the same region as Narumi and Jin-jin!" Mikan responded in astonishment. "It's nice to meet you!" Mikan shook their hands, and her other friends followed suit (with the exception of Natsume, who seemed to only recognize their presence with a glare).

"Why are you here though?" Ruka asked when he finished shaking their hands.

"Narumi told us to come here, because of the disappearance of a Syannia Guardian," Tsubasa stated simply, ignoring the growl that he recognized coming from the _remaining _Syannia Guardian.

"_I. am. fine._" Natsume thickly coated each word, clearly annoyed—no, _seething_—with anger. "I don't need any of your stupid Guardians' help. I'm not some baby—"

"Oh you'll always be our little baby, Natsume~" Tsubasa teased as he poked the crimson eyed boy's cheeks. That earned him a punch in the face from the young lad. The punch was so hard it sent him flying, hitting a tree several feet away and landing on the ground hard, body twitching.

Misaki just simply gave a small laugh. "To think that you would've learned by now…"

"Wait, how do you guys know each other?" Mikan asked, hoping for another time of storytelling.

"We came here a lot to train Natsume and his sister," the maroon-haired girl replied shortly before bending to her comrade. "Come on Tsubasa…" she pulled his body up by his ear.

"Ow ow, ow! Ouch, Misaki, let go!" he cried.

Misaki simply disregarded her partner's protests and turned her attention to the younger teens in front of her. "You guys and gals are from Prellia and Leannia, am I correct?"

The four replied with a variety of responses: grunts, 'yeses' and shrugs.

"I'm Sakura Mikan, the lead Guardian of Prellia, with the air element. You can say nullification, if you prefer. My partner, Imai Hotaru has invention."

"This is Nogi Ruka, my partner with animal pheromone. I'm Hijiri Youichi, lead Guardian of Leannia with dark element. Nice to meet you…" The boy bowed to show his formality. Ruka and Mikan simply sweatdropped.

"It's nice to meet you too, guys and gals. Our meeting will now be cut short though, because you will be going back to your islands." Tsubasa got himself up from the ground, standing alongside Misaki and Natsume.

"Eh?" Mikan continued, "Wait, Narumi wanted us to—"

"Yeah, we know. Narumi wanted you guys to simply report everything back to him though. You got the information you needed, right?" Misaki responded, while the four teens in front of her gave another variety of responses again.

"We'll deal with everything from here. Narumi sent us here for a reason." Tsubasa gave a gentle smile to the now disappointed teens. He realized that they were excited to having another friend join their already circle of friends. "You guys need to be on guard as well. The person who attacked Syannia will probably target one of you guys soon enough," he admitted.

"Yeah, that's true…" Mikan heaved a sigh before looking at her friends beside her, and then at the lone Syannia Guardian. "We'll take our leave now. If you guys need help though, we'll be more than happy to assist you," she finally said before they all said their byes and departed into the skies.

The two older teens on the Syannia grounds emitted a tired sigh once they couldn't see the other Cordellia Guardians anymore. Then, they directed their attention to Natsume, who seemed to be in his own little world. Misaki cleared her throat quietly, bringing the raven-haired lad's attention back to them.

"Now, tell us what happened."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

Mikan laid in bed, thinking about the day's events. It had been a couple hours since their departure from Syannia, but she couldn't take her mind off of the Annalia Guardians, and most of all… Natsume. This afternoon's events kept replaying in her mind.

"_Why… did things become like this?"_ Mikan contemplated, her face digging deeper into her puffy pillow.

"_We are comrades, companions... people that we should be able to confide with when we're in trouble… I feel that we're all trying to mind our own business, yet… it shouldn't be like that!" _Mikan cried in her mind as she shuffled around in her bed. Realizing that she wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon, she decided to go grab a small cup of warm milk from the kitchen.

She quietly walked downstairs of her house to the kitchen, and poured milk into a small cup. Then, she put a couple pinches of sugar into it, with a touch of vanilla and warmed it up. Taking in the scent of the warm drink, she put on a pair of a slippers and a light sweater before opening the door and stood on her patio, gazing up at the clear, star-filled sky.

It was still slightly chilly outside, since it was still early spring-late winter.

She chuckled slightly when she thought back to Misaki's and Tsubasa's warm attire. Then she remembered in geography class that Barrania was much cooler than here. They probably had snow falling down there for all they knew.

She finished up her warm drink, and was about to softly walk back upstairs to her bedroom when she saw her mom on the top of the staircase while returning into the house.

"Mikan-chan?" she asked curiously as she walked downstairs to the ground floor. "Why are you still up?"

"It's the weekend tomorrow, mom," Mikan whispered jokingly. "I couldn't sleep." Her mom wiped her eyes, and walked down the steps to her daughter.

"I heard the news regarding Syannia," she commented sympathetically to her daughter. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Mikan muttered sadly. "I don't know really. Guardians from Barrania came to help out, so they said for us to just watch out."

"And how was your meeting with your new friends?" Yuka, her mother, gave a gentle smile.

"It was awesome!" Mikan cheered. "I'm going to go meet them again tomorrow."

"At Leannia?"

"Yup!"

"That's nice. You should go to bed now then. It's almost 2 in the morning."

"What?! Last time I checked, it was just past 12:30!"

"You were outside for quite a while, Mikan. I was wondering why you were out there for so long."

"You knew I was outside?"

"I was awake when you attempted to quietly walk downstairs, Mikan." Yuka gave a light chuckle as she ushered the brunette upstairs to go to bed.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Mikan asked her mom as she pushed her to her room and under the covers. Yuka tucked her daughter in bed, despite the fact that she was already 17.

"Oh you know me and my love of reading books late at night." Mikan's mom gave a small wink, causing the brunette to emit a small giggle. "Have a good night's sleep honey," she concluded before turning off the lights.

"Mhmm," Mikan muttered softly towards her mother, just before hearing the door close and light footsteps slowly fade down the hallway. Before she knew it, she was already fast asleep, a small smile curled on her lips.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"I want to have a mock battle," Mikan started, surprising her friends in the Leannia headquarters.

They were sitting in the meeting room, all of them were scattered around it, in their own little world until Mikan spoke up. Mikan was tossing one of her daggers up and down, swiftly catching it by the hilt of it as if it was nothing. Ruka, was tending to a small rabbit that sat cutely on the table while Hotaru was doing who-knows-what on her laptop. Youichi just sat in a corner, staring at nothing in particular, thinking.

"Sure," Ruka pitched in as he stood up and stretched. "How should we do this then? Prellia versus Leannia?"

"Totally!" Mikan gave a determined expression.

"Team or individual?" Youichi asked as he brushed himself and got up from the floor.

"How about… individual? We can do round robin," Mikan responded.

"I don't see a problem with that," Ruka replied, giving a small shrug with his shoulders. He glanced at Youichi, who did the same motion. The three noticed that Hotaru already had her laptop stowed away, her bow already in her hand.

"Let's go to the training room, it's just to the left," Youichi replied curtly as he led the way.

The Prellia Guardians took in their surroundings. Their training room was larger than theirs, no doubt about that. It was expected though, since their _island_ was bigger. It wouldn't make sense for Leannia headquarters to have a smaller training room. Their walls were quite plain; they were a beige shade, with simple, white flourish designs on them. The ceiling, also as expected was pretty much endless. It was really high up, and it was transparent, as if there wasn't one.

They morphed the ground below them to sand, so that way it's softer when they make contact with it from a high altitude.

"Let the captains of each team go first," Ruka suggested. The other three nodded in agreement. Hotaru and Ruka went to the sidelines, while Youichi and Mikan walked towards the centre of the room.

The two stood confidently in front of each other, both showing that they're determined to win.

"I won't lose, Mikan." Youichi's mouth curved up ever so slightly.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're younger!" Mikan teased, her daggers pointed at the target.

"3, 2, 1!" Ruka shouted, and then off they went.

Mikan decided to take the lead as she tried to get a punch on the boy who she could tell wasn't ready for the quick onslaught. Her fist just narrowly missed his face as he stepped to the side.

Youichi brought out his wand, and flew into the air, swinging his weapon to launch a large purple chain at the Prellia captain. Mikan saw it coming though, and flew straight into the air without hesitation. What slightly baffled her was when she saw that the chain had changed direction as well, stalking her. Mikan sharply turned to the left, flying towards the boy manipulating the power. Mikan brought her daggers up, and charged straight at him.

That was rendered useless once again when Youichi formed more purple spheres around him, and they quickly morphed into sharp arrows. He launched them all at the coming target, stunning Mikan once again.

The two spectators down at the bottom slightly gasped as they hit the target, and a smoke erupted from the impact.

Again, they were surprised once more when they could just barely notice Mikan instantly fly out of the smoke cloud and right behind the Leannia captain.

Youichi couldn't even comprehend what was going on until he was thrown to the earth below him,

Hotaru and Ruka ran to the scene when the air cleared up from the sand flying up from the ground. As they got closer to it, they saw Mikan's dagger to Youichi's neck, ending their fight.

The two were slightly panting from their battle, Mikan was keeping Youichi down.

"Mikan of Prellia wins!" Ruka declared. Hotaru and him gave a small round of applause as Mikan got off of the younger lad, and gave him a hand to help him up.

Youichi accepted it, but then as he stood up he pulled his hand forward, pulling Mikan down. Not having expected that, Mikan lost her train of balance and fell face-first into the sand. Ruka laughed while Hotaru looked with amusement at her captain.

Soon enough, it was Hotaru's and Ruka's turn to face-off.

Mikan and Youichi stood off on the sides this time of course, while Ruka and Hotaru stood confidently, the latter glowering at her opponent while the former glanced at her with a determined smile. Neither of them wanted to lose, _especially _since their captains were the spectators.

Both of their minds were on full alert when Mikan started counting down.

"3!"

Ruka subconsciously grasped his staff harder, while Hotaru did the same with her bow.

"2!"

The two gazed at each other, trying to decipher what each of them were thinking.

"1!" Mikan hollered, but then the two heard some whining. "Youichi, you made me get sand in my mouth!"

"I'm sorry!" the two heard Youichi reply back. Ruka's concentration decreased slightly, unbeknownst to him. Hotaru; however, wasn't fazed by it at all.

"GO!" Mikan finally hollered.

Ruka could barely have enough time to react when he saw a bright blue arrow coming straight at him. By reflex, he flew into the air and a bright yellow light formed at the tip of his staff. Hotaru glanced around her quickly, knowing that Ruka was calling some animals forward. What she didn't know was that the animal he called ran underground, beneath the sand she was standing on.

Hotaru was thrown up into the air in the next moment, befuddled from the sudden attack. Regaining her senses, she stayed in the air and started launching her magical arrows at an alarming speed. What surprised her the most was Ruka's ability to dodge them all.

Feeling even more motivated and determined, she sped up (if that was even possible). Now, Ruka was just narrowly evading them, but he had another trick up his sleeve.

He flew straight up, higher into the air, giving him a small leeway to call an eagle down. Although one swept down coming at the target with no hesitation, she quickly prepared herself. She started shooting her arrows three by three, the speed almost on par despite the extra power that she had to exert.

Mikan and Youichi glanced seriously at their subordinates in the air, silent as they did so. Both of them were carefully analyzing their movements, and evaluating the effectiveness of each attack.

This fight lasted for another 20 minutes, shocking the two captains.

"What…?" Mikan was on her feet now. "Hotaru doesn't usually take this long to fight someone off like this…"

"Same with Ruka-kun. He usually wins in a matter of minutes. Not a couple _tens _of minutes." Youichi brought hand to his chin, wondering what was going on. "Not saying that he beats me. He has never done so."

"Same here," Mikan joked along. "They're both getting really reckless with their moves. It can be anyone's win now…"

The two subordinates were panting really hard, tired but not giving in to losing. Every minute gained, they were running more and more on pure determination. The two also noticed that their moves were getting sloppier and sloppier as it wore on.

Hotaru shot another seven arrows at the Leannia Guardian, but he dodged and called his eagle to attack the girl with the bow once more. She, just barely dodging it, shot another round of arrows at the blond lad. One of them, finally hit its target, even if it was just skimming the arm, causing it to bleed slightly.

Hotaru, happy to finally seeing some favorable results, launched ten arrows, the most she has ever done. She just recently practiced it, so she knew it was risky. She didn't want to give in though, and decided to take the risk.

Mikan gasped as she saw what her Prellia comrade was doing.

"They're just being completely irresponsible now!" Mikan cried as she was about to call the battle off before Youichi grabbed her arm and tightened his grip, causing the Prellia Guardian to wince slightly.

"No. Let them be. They need to be pushed to their limit."

"Youichi, they can get seriously injured!"

"Then that'll teach them to _not_ be so reckless next time. It's a win-win situation," Youichi glanced at the brunette unwavering, stunning her slightly. This was _not_ how she taught, at all.

"I do this all the time to Ruka. You should do that to Hotaru too," he concluded before removing his hand from the brunette's forearm.

Mikan stared at Youichi for a few moments, before heaving a sigh, sitting back down against the wall next to him.

"I hope you're right, Youichi."

Ruka was now almost at his limit. Scratched everywhere, he gasped as another arrow scraped his other arm. His eyes widened when his staff slipped out of his hand, falling towards the earth below him. He quickly glimpsed at the Prellia Guardian. She was charging for another 10 arrows. For a moment, he was about to give up and surrender, but then a thought came into his mind.

Something that he had never done even when fighting his captain.

Ruka, finally decided to do a move that he hoped that the Prellia Guardian was unprepared for. It was simple really. Breaking eye contact with the inventor, he flew down to grab his weapon.

Hotaru stayed in the air, stunned. Why was he doing something so stupid? No matter, she aimed at the weapon, planning on letting it fly at the perfect time it took to hit him when he grasped it.

She didn't even know what was going on when the next second she blinked, he was gone from her vision.

"_What?!"_ Hotaru quickly surveyed her surroundings, noticing that the staff was still on the beige sand at the bottom. Where could he have possibly gone? If he wasn't down there, then he was probably—

The Prellia Guardian didn't have enough time to turn when she was hit, hard on her back. Her hand, slippery from sweat, dropped the bow.

She was defenseless now.

The now-defenseless Prellia Guardian, before she could do anything was hit once more, but this time she was thrown to the ground. It wasn't that the hit was hard; her wings failed on her when she tried to regain her momentum in the air.

She wasn't going to give up though. Not having have used her power at all, she brought out a rod, and then extended it at the exact moment she saw the animal pheromone boy in front of her. The boy let out a gasp, stunned by the sudden attack.

The two fell to the ground, coughing from the sandy air.

Mikan and Youichi ran to the scene when they witnessed the fall.

"Are you guys oka—" The two captains gasped once more when the air cleared up, and Ruka had his staff in hand, aiming it at Hotaru's neck while Hotaru's deer hoof was at the opposing Leannia Guardian's.

"I think… it's a draw?" Mikan commented astonishingly, her eyes wide. Never in her life, did her partner _not_ win against another subordinate in battle. Even Narumi and Jin-jin told them that Hotaru was one of the strongest subordinates in history.

"I guess." Youichi sighed as he brought a small disinfectant bottle, and bent down to his partner.

Mikan glanced at the boy's wounds, and Youichi's gentle tending to them. She rarely used those remedies, because she and her partner only went as far as barely scathing a punch or two at each other in battle. Youichi seemed like this was nothing; he didn't even wince as he patched up Ruka's wounds.

"Ruka, you were really reckless back there," Youichi growled. "Don't do that again."

"Sorry…" Ruka muttered, wincing slightly as he accidentally touched an open gash on his hand. "I thought that—"

"That thought could have almost got you killed if this was a real battle, stupid."

The two girls just stayed in their places as they stared animatedly at the rough exchange of words.

Mikan heaved a sigh before giving her full attention to _her_ subordinate.

"What he said was true. You both were out of control with your attacks. Although I'm happy that you can shoot ten arrows at a time now, you clearly were not ready for it."

"Mikan, I wa—"

"No, you weren't. You were lucky that Ruka's attacks are not short ranged like mine, or you would've been a goner."

Hotaru looked down at her sore feet, breaking eye contact with her captain. She heard the brunette drag a long sigh once more before getting up to her feet.

"Just… don't do it again, okay?"

"… Yeah," Hotaru responded after a small moment of silence between the two.

"Anyways, I think it's time for lunch now!" Mikan gave a happy declaration. "After a morning's tough training, I'm starving!"

"You're the one to talk!"the other three friends growled simultaneously at the oblivious Prellia captain.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"How's the research coming along, Natsu-kun~" a teasing voice came into the Syannia headquarters. He ignored the growl that came from the said person as he walked into the main room.

"There doesn't seem to be any information," he curtly commented before sluggishly lying back into his seat. He opened one eye when he smelled an aroma of green tea in the air. Tsubasa laid a cup of it in front of him, expecting him to take it.

Natsume took it carelessly, before taking a small sip. Tsubasa sat down in a chair beside him.

"You know, Natsume, I think you should take a break. You've been in front of the system since la—"

"No," he responded gruffly.

Tsubasa sighed as his Barrania partner casually walked into the room and leaned on his seat, slightly pushing it back.

"I don't think we'll find any information on this. It's never happened before, after all," she added. "Instead of sulking about this Natsume, I think we should go get some fresh air," she suggested, looking at the crimson-eyed boy with a hint of worry in her voice.

The boy didn't respond, and just stared at the tea in his cup.

"Natsume, it's not your—"

"That's not it," he growled. "I just sense that something bad is going to happen, and I want to prevent that from happening."

"And since when have we ever believed in our intuition?" Tsubasa teased.

"Since the time when I had the same feeling a few weeks before Aoi disappeared." Natsume finally faced the Annalia Guardians and glared at the navy-haired teen.

"That was a pure coincidence," he replied simply.

"What makes you think that? Your _intuition_?" the Syannia Guardian retorted.

"Yes—I mean, no, I mean—okay that's not the point!"

"Then what's your point?"

"My point is, is that it's just a waste of time to just glance at the stupid screen when you're going to get nothing out of it! Natsume, this has never happened in history of this place before. As your senpais, we're telling to just… relax and just go out with us for a little bit," Tsubasa ranted.

Although Natsume would usually just retort with a simple 'no', he felt that, for _once_, the shadow dude was right. Since the whole tragic event that took place yesterday morning, his mind was all caught up with trying to find answers (which only really resulted to more questions being formed than them being answered) to the whole thing. He had to admit that he did realize his dexterity was deteriorating a bit due to his lack of a break.

"I don't think Aoi would want you to do this, Natsume. Pulling an all-nighter after a tiring day?" Misaki backed her companion up. "There's probably some more evidence outside. What's better than checking out answers to a crime at the crime scene itself?"

Natsume had to bite his tongue to prevent another wisecrack answer to that rhetorical question. _"The crime scene is already cleaned up, if you couldn't tell..." _

The teen then assumed that the female Annalia Guardian referred to the _whole continent of Syannia_ as the crime scene. Misaki's not that dumb, after all (her partner on the other hand was questionable...).

Natsume glanced at his comrades for a few more moments before putting his mug onto the desk and standing up.

"Where do you want to go?" He wished he could retract that sentence when his senpais gave an excited look.

"It's been a little while since we've been around Syannia, so I would like a tour of the landmarks!" Tsubasa exclaimed with excitement, causing his kouhai's eye to twitch in irritation.

"_These two—"_

"Let's go!" Tsubasa shouted in excitement before dragging the boy out of the room. Misaki gave a small chuckle before following in tow.

She wasn't surprised when she heard a large bang and a cry, knowing that Natsume had just given her partner another one of his classical punches.

"He'll never learn…" she shook her head.

_~Third Feather: Departure, End._

* * *

Yes Tsubasa, you'll never learn that teasing Natsume will definitely get you hurt. XD; Anyways, review please? I won't update until I get at least **2** reviews! Next chapter will be a little bit lighter in atmosphere, but it'll be interesting! (I hope…)

Over and out!

- Sakura-tan, goldenstarlight at wordpress (url on profile). :)


	4. Fourth Feather: Rival

Hello again fellow readers! So sorry for the late update, but hey, it's up now! -runs behind a door-

As stated before, I will provide you all with the basic overview about what had happened in the chapters up until this point. The lyrics that I have used are credited on our fanfiction blog! (Which you should, by the way, check out!)

Please read and review! :)

- Sakura-tan

**Writer: **Sakura-tan  
**Editor:** Kyoko-tan  
**Disclaimer:** I am lazy, so please refer to chapter 1 again.  
_**Edit Oct 5/12:** Oh and another thing. Everything that I'm writing has been planned in my (quite detailed) outline (which I have written at least a year ago). This means that if any similarities pop up comparing the ending of this fanfic to the manga (as it's still ongoing), I did **not **cheap out and decided to copy Tachibana Higuchi's ending. It was a mere **coincidence** that they are similar. (Just wanted to point this out to you readers, since the GA manga is ending soon. -sob-)_

* * *

_**Basic Terminology:**_

**Guardian:** a special user that is enabled the power to hold unique powers. There are only _two_ Guardians in each continent. Some of them are given special weapons along with their powers. The elementals are much more powerful than the non-elementals, so they are assigned as leader if their partner is a non-elemental.

**Feather:** a device that gives the user the ability to fly. While the 'normal' users have a white-yellowish feather, the Guardians have a pure-white one. Feathers can be simply replaced, however if a Guardian were to have their feather taken from them or broken, they will disappear.

_-o-o-o-o-o-_

_**Main Characters (up until this point):**_

_**Cordellia:**_

**Sakura Mikan: **She wields the power of air (also known as nullification), and uses daggers in combat. Lead Guardian of Prellia.

**Imai Hotaru:** The subordinate Guardian of Prellia, she has the power of invention, with a bow as a sub weapon. A close friend of Mikan.

**Hijiri Youichi: **Lead Guardian of Leannia. He holds the power of dark (spirit manipulation), and the wand as a weapon.

**Nogi Ruka:** Subordinate Guardian of Leannia. A good friend of Youichi, his captain. He has the power of animal pheromone, and a staff as a weapon. Met Hyuuga Natsume in the past.

**Hyuuga Natsume: **A mysterious lad, a Guardian of Syannia. He wields the power of fire, with a scythe as his sub weapon. Studied with the Annalia Guardians for a long time in the past. His sister, Hyuuga Aoi disappeared due to a sudden attack. Known to have met Ruka in the past.

_**Barrania:**_

**Andou Tsubasa: **A Guardian from Annalia, though on temporary stay in Syannia with Misaki. His relationship with his partner Misaki is quite close. He Holds the power of shadow manipulation. No weapon confirmed.

**Harada Misaki: **Along with Andou Tsubasa, she's a Guardian of Annalia. She wields the power of doppelganger, and no weapon confirmed. Also on temporary stay in Syannia. She and Tsubasa are close with the Syannia Guardians.

_-o-o-o-o-o-_

_**Summary up until this point:**_

Sakura Mikan and her partner, Imai Hotaru, were alarmed when they heard of a sudden disappearance of one of their fellow Guardians one morning at school. Racing to the scene, they were abruptly attacked by Hyuuga Natsume, the partner and sibling of the Syannia Guardian who disappeared. Persistent with helping the remaining Syannia Guardian, they learned that Aoi was deliberately attacked. Their meeting was cut short when they were sent back to their Islands upon the arrival of Annalia Guardians, Tsubasa and Misaki.

Now, Ruka and Hotaru are caught in a fiery rivalry after facing the result of a draw between a mock battle one day. If only they knew that their fight would last for so long…

* * *

_~Fourth Feather: __Rival_

* * *

Mikan and Youichi both sweatdropped at the scene in front of them.

Finally, it was April. Sakura blossoms were starting to bloom in Prellia, and the grass was getting greener and greener as they got more sunlight. The thicker jackets were stored away for another year, and light sweaters were taken out. Amusement parks were opening, meaning more teens were going out. Picnics were becoming the trend once more, so the parks were busier than usual.

Not only that, but the malls were having countless sales on the thicker attires. Nonetheless, the warmer weather brought the teens out to the shopping centers, whether they were actually going for those bargains or not.

That's where the Prellia and Leannia Guardians were right now, with two usually calm-and-cool teens bickering at each other and the other two staring at the sight in dismay.

"I got here _way_ before you!" Ruka hollered and pointed accusingly at the inventor.

"No, you weren't idiot! I got here 0.6527434 seconds before you," Hotaru retorted.

"Perhaps your stupid GPS-thing is wrong!" Ruka argued back, clearly mad at the Prellia subordinate. Mikan glanced at him, shocked that he could get this angry over something so small.

The two just ran a race across the whole mall to see who would get back to the large Bubble Tea store first. The mall was quite big; it spanned at least two square kilometers in width and length, and was three stories high.

"It's called a timer, bird-brain," Hotaru growled with fury. She was very tempted to punch the boy senseless.

"Uhm guys…" Mikan attempted to break apart the quarrelling teens. She also found it a little surprising that her usually stoic partner was putting up such a fight, and was actually _expressing_ her discontentment, not that she couldn't tell when she wasn't…

"Who won the race, Mikan?!" the two yelled simultaneously, glaring at the Prellia Guardian. It completely caught her off-guard.

"W-well, uhh…" Mikan turned to the Leannia leader, desperate for some assistance. She mouthed, _"HELP ME!"_

Youichi sighed before walking towards his comrades, and slipped out a coin from his jean pocket.

"Heads or tails?" Youichi glanced at the Prellia subordinate.

"Tails."

Youichi flicked the coin in the air with his thumb and slapped it onto his palm when he retrieved it.

"Heads. Ruka won," Youichi simply said before walking away from the stunned teens. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat lunch."

The three teens had their mouths slightly agape, all trying to process what had just happened. Ruka, being the winner was the first to recover. "Heh, I guess I won Imai." He gave a teasing smirk.

Mikan just slowly backed away as she sensed her best friend's killer aura.

"Ruka, I suggest that you run, fast," Mikan panicked as she pushed Ruka forward.

"Eh? Wh—wah," Ruka cried as he saw Hotaru formed her bow in hand, and ten arrows appeared. She drew the bowstring back before the Leannia subordinate could process what was going on.

Taking the brunette's advice, he fled the scene before Hotaru could launch her attack. When she did, the arrows flew towards the boy, causing him to have some difficulty with running.

Ruka quickly took out his staff and called upon mice from _who-knows-where_. They ran meekly and peskily towards the bow-strung girl. In turn she quickly took out her feather and flew up (after all, mice can't get to her when she's in the _air_), aiming her shots at her rival once more.

"W-wait, we're in a mall!" the rational (for once) brunette stammered as she tried to catch up to them by foot. "Whhaaa~ Where's Youichi at a time like this?!" she cried.

Mikan saw another blast of bright blue arrows fly towards the blond-haired boy, and she gave a discontented sigh. At this rate, the whole fourth floor of the mall will be in shambles.

Hearing another large "boom" in earshot, she knew she had to take action. Her friends were clearly getting carried away with their whole rivalry. Amongst all of this, Youichi was still _nowhere_ to be found. Where the heck was he?

Mikan quickly transformed and flew into the air, so quickly the other people in the mall didn't notice her disappearance. That was when the brunette glanced at the population in the shopping center. They seemed to be oblivious to the commotion above them. How were they not frightened that two teens were wreaking havoc in this building?

Then again, they were fighting above the fourth floor. The fourth floor of the mall were offices, and since it was the weekend, there was no one there, save for the few people that were there for unknown reasons.

She drew one dagger out and dashed right in between the two still-fighting teens. A large cloud of smoke erupted, and that finally brought some attention from some of the citizens that happened to witness it.

"Whoa, what was that?" one spectator whispered.

"Maybe it's the Guardians?" another commented.

"Why are they _here_ though?"

"Did you hear about the one that disappeared in Syannia?"

"Of course, it was all over the news! It's a shame that they couldn't give us the details about what happened though..."

Mikan sighed with relief when she realized that the people in the mall drew their attention away from them. She was still suspended in the air, with one hand clasping Hotaru's in such a way that if she were to move it, some bones would be broken. In the other hand, she had her dagger pointed towards Ruka's throat, the tip glinting from the sunlight that crept in from the glass roof.

"You two are cleaning up this place," the brunette ordered tiredly as the three slowly landed back on ground.

"… Fine…" the two teens grumbled.

"Whoever cleans their side of the floor fastest wins," Ruka whispered mockingly at the inventing queen.

"… Deal," she replied before they flew to opposite sides of the mall, leaving Mikan in the center of it all. She didn't even bother to reply and just expressed her tiredness with a deep and long exhale.

"_And I thought _I_ was the immature one. These two are unbelievable!"_

"So how did things go?" a familiar voiced asked, causing the brunette to slightly jump.

"Youichi!" she gave a quick smile before it quickly faded into anger. She gripped his shoulders suddenly, yet Youichi wasn't fazed by her abrupt action. "WHERE WERE YOU?!"

"I went to get a hotdog. I told you I was hungry," he commented stoically as he continued munching on the meal. "Did Imai and Ruka make up?"

"Uhh… I guess you can say that…" Mikan responded hesitantly as she released the chestnut-haired boy from her grip. "They're cleaning up the mess they made, if you consider that as 'making up'…"

"From scratch?"

"Huh?" Mikan hitched, confused at what the Leannia Guardian meant.

"Are they fixing it from scratch, or are they just using the Nova technique?"

"Oh, the Nova technique of course. I don't think they'd be able to clean this place up using the simple measures."

The Nova technique was a special power that uses up a tremendous amount of energy. It restores objects back to how they were before. For example, in this particular instance, Hotaru and Ruka were rebuilding the infrastructure by this method.

It was an _excruciating_ ability to master, and was only permissible by Guardians to use. "Normal" citizens didn't have the sheer willpower to even _learn_ it. Mikan and the other Cordellia Guardians would most probably not even passed as beginners if they were evaluated on how much they have mastered this skill.

"Done!" the two teens declared simultaneously as they flew back towards the center of their stage—which just happened to be where Mikan and Youichi were still standing.

Mikan and Youichi sweatdropped once more, and were hoping that they wouldn't—

"I finished first!" Ruka started.

"No I did," Hotaru replied, anger fueling up inside her again.

"Why you—"

"Let's go grab some lunch!" Mikan interrupted the disputing friends. "I'm starving, and I'm sure you guys are too!"

The two, noticing what the brunette was doing (not to mention a growing, menacing aura that rarely came from the Prellia captain), obeyed and temporarily set their rivalry to the side. Neither wanted to anger the girl.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Oh, our school is having a small festival," Mikan remembered as she checked her phone, having received a text message from her friend regarding it.

"Don't remind me," Hotaru grumbled, feeling completely wiped out. Mikan assumed it was because of the Nova technique. She averted her gaze to the blond-haired lad, who seemed just as dead tired as the Prellia subordinate.

"Well, Ruka and Youichi, do you two wanna come?" Mikan asked as she stuck a french fry into her mouth.

"When is it?" the chestnut-haired Guardian asked.

"Oh, it's next week. I'm sure it'll be fun. There are going to be lots of stands set up with food, games and our class is setting up a cafe too. Not that we'll be in it, anyways."

"What do you mean?" Youichi inquired, raising a brow.

"Hotaru and I are going to be in the gym. This year, they decided that the grade representatives have to perform on stage instead of participating in the class activities."

"… Why?" Youichi swiftly snatched a fry from Mikan. She didn't mind though, and just answered his question. "And why are both of the grade reps girls? At our school, they are one girl and one guy."

"It's a competition between grades. Although I feel that it's completely unfair that we're against people that are a grade _older_ than us as well. To answer your second questions, our school disregards gender for grade reps."

"Aren't you guys in third-year though?"

"Yeah, that's the problem. There's the fourth-year above us." Mikan gave a small growl as she rested her chin over the table on her propped up arm.

"That's only one year. I don't see the problem."

"Yeah, they were the ones that got _Platinum_ in the drama competition in Prellia. If they decide to pull a stunt like that for this competition, we're screwed."

"There's only two of them right? Just be better," Youichi simply shrugged.

"How are you being so calm about this?" Mikan folded her arms over the table and raised a brow, similarly to how Youichi did a while ago.

"It's because Ruka's in a competition a few days after yours. Except his team is against the whole Leannia continent, and the level range is much wider."

Mikan's jaw dropped in astonishment. _"I knew I shouldn't have said anything!"_

"We're a large orchestra though, so we're different…" Ruka added, slightly embarrassed at his captain's remark.

Youichi gave another one of his calm shrugs. "I just don't see what the big issue is. Just practice a lot, and go out there and try your best. You don't have anything to lose."

"Hmm, when you think of it that way…" Mikan sipped her small bottle of pop before standing up. Her eyes glinted in determination. "Hotaru, we will win this thing!"

"You say that, but we don't even know what we're doing," Hotaru commented right to the point. Mikan slumped back into her seat when she realized their predicament.

"We can help you two," Ruka stood up and stole a quick glance at his partner who casually rose to his feet as well.

"What do you mean?" The girls looked up at them.

"Well, Leannia isn't claimed for having the best Arts for nothing." Ruka gave them a smile filled with pride, while Youichi simply smirked. "Added to that, we're both in the Arts program of the best school in Leannia as well."

"Eh?" Mikan was slightly shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere.

"We're saying that you gals can win, that is, if you _want_ and have the determination to."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Hmm, so the performance either has to be acting, singing or dancing," Youichi thought aloud as he tossed the rules sheet to his Leannia subordinate. "What do you think they should do?"

Youichi glanced at the two girls who were lounging on the couch in front of them. They glanced up at the Leannia Guardians, who seemed to be in a deep train of thought. The two Prellia Guardians didn't even bother asking what they were thinking (it was obvious it was about their competition though), since it seemed that only the elite Arts students would understand. Hotaru didn't _care_, so she didn't try.

"Well, what can you help us with the most?" Mikan started. "I don't see the point of having you two help us if you guys don't have the expertise for what we decide to do."

"We never agreed to decide _everything _for you." Youichi narrowed his eyes at the older ladies.

"Yeah, yeah, we know…" Mikan sighed. "We just don't have any ideas. I can't dance, and Hotaru can't act for her life."

Hotaru was about to retort, but then realized that it was true. She slumped back into the couch.

"So then you guys will be singing, simple as that," Youichi roughly grabbed the procedure sheet from his subordinate and threw it back at the girls. "Find a song that you two like, and then sing it."

"Oh no duh," Hotaru backlashed. "We don't get anything out of this anyways, so I don't see why we have to do this."

Mikan sweatdropped. She knew that Hotaru would want at least a tangible prize for doing this.

"_I guess this is the disadvantage of being a grade rep?"_

"It doesn't hurt to try, Imai-san."

"I have no choice but to," Hotaru retorted as she rolled her eyes. Ruka remained patient despite her harsh remark, and just turned to Mikan, who seemed to have gone into her own little world.

She came back to reality when Ruka spoke up.

"So for some ideas. Firstly, of course, you guys should do something creative, which will make you two completely stand out amongst the rest of the competitors. In a good way, I mean." Ruka sat down on an adjacent couch.

"Like…?" Mikan finally spoke up.

"Well, that's your decision."

"Wait, you guys didn't help at all!" Mikan exclaimed in defeat.

"Oh don't worry. We'll give you two some tips," Ruka responded with his prince-like smile.

"If they're as corny and simple as the other ones—"

"Corny, perhaps. Simple, yes," Youichi replied as he leaned back on his seat.

"But—"

"Hey, just because they're simple and corny doesn't mean that they don't work. Not only that, but if the grad year _does_ do a small act, then you have the upper hand where you _know_ their strengths and weaknesses." Ruka's smiled wider as he continued, "They don't know yours. In fact, you two don't look like singers. They'll probably think that you two will do a dance, since you're on the athletic council, Mikan. Hotaru is more on the quiet side. Her singing? I think you two will amaze the audience just with her saying something," Ruka encouraged. It seemed to have worked; Mikan's and Hotaru's eyes glanced hopefully at them, in their own way.

"Oh I hope you're right, Ruka."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

Finally, it was the day of the competition. Mikan paced back and forth backstage as she waited for her best friend who was still in the dressing room preparing.

"_Get rid of all of your nervousness beforehand, leaving all of your excited adrenaline for the stage. Don't over-think your performance. Simply run it over in your head, especially the parts that you had trouble with."_

Mikan remembered the first tip that the Leannia Guardians gave them. She took deep breathes, in and out, in and out, she chanted to herself. When her nerves calmed down, she closed her eyes and imagined where exactly she will stand. She already checked where the microphones were on the stage, so she planned their entrance: she and Hotaru were going to enter the stage simultaneously.

She ran over the routine in her head, and then she opened her eyes. She noticed that Hotaru had just exited the dressing room, and Mikan quickly glanced at her outfit: an orange sweater and a simple pair of jean-caprice. That was what pretty much Mikan wore, except she wore a yellow quarter-sleeved hoodie.

Mikan and Hotaru watched the two freshmen finish their dance, and then a round of applause came shortly afterwards. Then two sophomores walked up onto stage. From what the two seniors could tell, they were going to do an act.

Mikan stared at the act, but didn't process what was happening. Her mind started swarming with what could _possibly_ go wrong. She broke from her trance when her friend tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" Mikan brought her attention to her friend.

"I have the system set up."

"Oh, right. Thanks!" Mikan gave a smile, and then a loud cheer emerged from the audience. The sophomores were done their performance. A new wave of nervousness swam over the brunette. When she glanced at her partner, she noticed Hotaru stiffen slightly.

"Now up next is the senior division. Sakura Mikan and Imai Hotaru will now represent their grade."

"_When you're called, just go up with all that you've got!"_ Mikan remembered what Ruka told them. Mikan straightened up and walked up to the stage with her friend in tow.

Ruka and Youichi glanced up at the pair of girls in the audience. The two had practiced for days, and today was finally the night. The two boys hadn't seen their practices. They don't even know what song they chose. The Leannia Guardians just simply gave them tips for their performance before they left that day.

The audience gasped when the lights suddenly went out. Then all of a sudden, a large screen showed up above the stage, illuminating light. Shortly after slow music started playing, and the two girls appeared on stage.

The two sang in unison:

_If you laugh with a big, big voice _  
_The copycat would have laughed along with you right away_

Then after a small instrumental, a spotlight hit Mikan and she sang a solo:

_The road we walked, hand in hand _  
_Today, let the two of us run together _  
_When I am with you, any world will shine brightly_

The spotlight went off and went on Hotaru. Ruka and Youichi felt the whole audience tense up when the usually-quiet girl started singing melodically.

_Being next to you like that _  
_Each little happiness like this _  
_Will change into a smile as we embrace each other_

The stage lights went back on and they sang another verse in unison. The audience gasped and gaped at the animation in the background. They were too immersed in the two singers singing their solos that they didn't notice the background _moving_, putting the audience in the setting.

_We went by bicycle, like that rainbow _  
_Let's live in happy colours forever_

The eyes went back onto the brunette when she sang another solo:

_Today, we look down the road  
__Which we've always walked down hand-in-hand  
__On its old surface, the world shines brightly_

Then at the inventor:

_Being next to you like that _  
_Each little happiness like this _  
_Will change into a smile as we embrace each other_

Mikan and Hotaru held hands when they sang the rest of the song in unison. The audience swayed to the music and glanced at the spectacle in front of them. The moving sidewalk behind them helped them visualize the two teens riding a bicycle. A rainbow was in the blue-gray tinged sky of the backdrop, presenting the mood of the song perfectly.

_We went by bicycle, like that rainbow _  
_Living with happy colours forever_

_When we fought, our heart's distance is _  
_Immeasurable _  
_The tears fell uncontrollably _  
_When we meet, please wipe it away_

Mikan remembered one last piece of advice that Youichi and Ruka gave them.

"_The ending, along with the beginning is always the most crucial. Exaggerate the whole song, but especially the ending. You may feel stupid, but the audience will not notice. The reason is to show the viewers and listeners that you're not worn out yet, and are just as pumped as you were in the beginning of the song."_

So, she and Hotaru did exactly that.

_We went by bicycle, like that rainbow _  
_Let's live in happy colours forever_

_If you laugh with a big, big, voice _  
_Let's live in happy colours forever_

When the two stopped singing, they swear the room was pin-drop silent. A little disappointed, Mikan was about to sulk off-stage when the audience suddenly burst into cheers and applauds.

"That was amazing!"

"Mikan your singing was astounding!"

"Hotaru marry me!"

Mikan mentally facepalmed at the last audible comment before happily leaving the stage. She had a feeling that the crowd would be wowed at Hotaru's singing. She never realized that her friend had such an amazing singing voice until this event.

"Good job gals!" A student backstage slapped Mikan playfully on the shoulder. She realized that it was a grad student. "You represented your grade well. We won't lose though!" She winked before she and her partner ran on stage.

"Yep, you two were great," an oh-too-familiar voice was heard, surprising the two Prellia Guardians.

"Thanks Ruka!" Mikan happily cheered as she hugged them. "The advice that you two gave were really helpful!"

"See, simple yet helpful. That's what we were aiming at. Plus, if we were to give you the more complicated tips, you gals would probably lose your minds."

"… I don't want to know…" Mikan gave a chuckle. "Oh, I almost forgot! Ruka, you have your competition on Friday, right?"

Ruka nodded to Mikan's question. "Yeah, our school is going crazy over it."

"Which is why we would like to invite you to see it." Youichi passed tickets to the two girls, who took it graciously.

"Wait, what?!" Ruka shouted. "But—"

"You. will. let. them. see. it." Youichi shot an evil glare at the frozen Leannia subordinate.

"Y-yes," Ruka responded meekly. He inwardly groaned and flipped a table in his mind.

"_Why are they getting so worked up about it?"_ Mikan was about to express her concern when suddenly, the speakers boomed over the gymnasium.

"Now, we would like to announce the results of the competition voted by the Student Activities Council," the announcer spoke boldly. "In fourth, we would like to congratulate the sophomores on their play, 'The Ugly Duckling'."

The four friends clapped out of habit, and some cheers rang backstage.

"In third place, are the freshmen for their dance of 'A Melody of Swan Lake.'"

The gang heard a loud scream that came from a small group of freshmen huddled beside them. Mikan gave a small smile at the group, who in return smiled back.

"In second place, is the grad year for their piece, 'A Sunrise on the Beach.'"

Mikan and Hotaru stood in place, stunned at what they just heard. The brunette couldn't process what she just listened to. _"Wait, then does that mean…?!"_

"And in first place, who sang 'Rainbow of Happiness', are the third-years. Congratulations on your achievements, and enjoy the rest of the festival!"

The members backstage went wild. Mikan couldn't hear how the spectators reacted to the results, but the brunette just stood there in shock. _"Eh?"_

"Mikan, what are you doing? We won," Hotaru pulled her friend's ponytail. People came up to congratulate the pair of girls and went on their way for the rest of the event.

The brunette however, stayed in place with her three friends alongside her, wondering why she hadn't jumped off the walls from excitement yet from the results. "We… did?"

"Yes, stupid."

"We won?"

"Don't make me shoot you with my baka gun."

"We won!" Mikan finally hollered in delight. She pounced on her friend, embracing her tightly at the amazing news. Hotaru was taken aback, but managed to recover in time before falling over.

They all conversed happily for a little longer, and soon enough, the cheers died down.

"Now Ruka, the stage is yours. Our eyes are going to be on you in the next few days," Youichi deadpanned. Ruka stopped cheering for his friends and felt his stomach do a nervous leap.

"… Thanks, Youichi…"

"Oh right, Ruka-kun! We can't wait to see your band perform! You'll do great!" Mikan shouted before slapping her palm on his back playfully.

"Eheh… I really hope so…" Ruka responded with a dead, unenthusiastic tone.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"I thought the venue was that way!"

"No it isn't, Mikan, it's on the other side of the school. Look at the stinking map they gave us!"

"Oh, I was holding it the wrong way, oops."

Hotaru mentally kicked herself, to restrain herself from hitting the brunette senseless. She may be one of the _strongest_ Guardians in Cordellia, but she certainly wasn't the _brightest_.

Finally, the two arrived at the site of the competition. It was a perfect day over in Leannia; the sky was a perfect shade of blue, and the wind was calm. The sun shone brightly, but not too bright that it seared the crowd of onlookers.

Mikan and Hotaru awed at the green field. It was as big as a football field, and the grass was at a perfect shade of green. The girls could tell that it was just mowed; the smell of the freshly cut grass was enticing. People sat on blankets, lawn chairs, and whatever else. People were everywhere, and they ranged from young children to seniors.

At the very end of the pasture was a large, black stage that sat dozens of vacant chairs. The two Prellia Guardians knew it was for the bands that will be competing.

"Let's sit here," Mikan ushered, patting the grass below her to motion her comrade to sit down. Hotaru did so casually. "Oh, is Youichi competing too?"

"No," a sudden voice came from behind. Mikan was too used to this scenario though, so she didn't even flinch.

"Oh, hey Youichi. I thought you were in the Arts, so aren't you competing?"

"Yeah, but I'm in a smaller band. Not our school orchestra." Mikan couldn't help but visualize Youichi playing a bass guitar. It wasn't that hard to imagine…

"Oooh, so then that means that Ruka plays an instrument!" Mikan realized.

"No duh." Hotaru rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up Hotaru~" Mikan jabbed her friend before directing her attention back to the Leannia Guardian. "What instrument does Ruka play?"

"You'll see."

Mikan heaved a tired sigh and fell backwards, lying on her hands over the grass. "So I guess we'll be listening to hundreds of bands play their pieces? No offense, but this'll be a looong day."

"Of course you won't be listening to hundreds of bands, smart one. These are the finals, so there are only five bands."

"Oh, really? When did you guys compete for the previous rounds, then?"

"Throughout the school year," Youichi responded as he sat down beside the brunette. "They just had their semifinals last week."

"Wait, what?!" Mikan replied, astonished. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why did we need to tell you?" Youichi rose a brow, completely confused.

"Because you were helping us last week for _our_ competition… now I feel bad."

Youichi simply shrugged. "We don't mind, to be honest. Ruka cares too much about other people anyways, so even if you knew, you wouldn't have been able to stop him from assisting you two."

Mikan glanced at the chestnut-haired lad. Why did she see sadness swarming around his eyes? She felt that she was trespassing over personal territory, so she didn't ask. The three friends sat in silence, until she heard the static of the outdoor speakers, indicating that they were turned on.

"Thank you for coming to see the 2012 National Leannia Orchestra Competition, Final Division. As spectators, it would be greatly appreciated if you would turn off all electronics, and settle down in your seats for the duration of the performances."

Mikan took out her communicator, and turned it off. _"Sorry Naru-sensei, but I don't want to be the one to distract the performers…"_ She noticed her partner do the same, and she assumed that Youichi already had his turned off.

"Thank you for your cooperation, and please enjoy the show."

As the speakers turned off, temporarily at least, Mikan saw a large group of students walk onstage with their instruments. Violins, violas, clarinets, trumpets... Mikan was fascinated at the variety. Although their school had all of those instruments, she stopped taking music class since freshman year, so she never bothered taking the time to really examine them.

The orchestra members sat down formally, and then the conductor walked up onto stage as well. They all brought their instruments at ready position and started at the wave of his baton. Mikan was confused when she realized they were playing a scale.

Mikan couldn't seem to understand what was going on. She tapped Youichi's shoulder and asked, "Uhh, is that the piece they're playing?"

"The band has to tune and warm up for a couple minutes before they actually play the piece," Youichi simply replied, not tearing his eyes away from the stage. Mikan just simply mouthed an 'oh' before bringing her attention back to the performers as well.

This went on for another few bands. Finally, Mikan recognized Ruka as he walked up to the stage with his other band members.

She felt butterflies in her stomach for the group. The brunette didn't understand how Ruka could seem so… calm about it. Although he was with about 60 other students, they were in the _nationals_—the _finals_ of that, to be even more intimidating.

Mikan didn't even realize that they had started their piece already when she zoned back to reality.

She didn't notice her jaw drop in fascination. The tuning was almost _perfect_, and that was hard enough with 60 people. It was as if only one person was playing each instrument, _perfectly_.

"Amazing…" she uttered, her eyes were wide with amazement.

From the corner of her eyes, she had noticed that some of the audience had noticed it as well.

Mikan wasn't too oblivious to the classics around her; she knew the names of the most famous ones as she has a small background on music. The brunette knew this one since it was quite famous. It was "_Spring" _by Vivaldi, she thought immediately. Even though she knew the piece, there was something different in how Ruka's school played it. There were more solos, more crescendos where there usually weren't, and the tempo sped up at some places where she recalled there not being any.

What surprised her the most though, was the end. For a second, she couldn't understand what was going on, but then she realized. The performers had all stopped playing, but the conductor was still moving his hands and there was still music being heard.

… A cello? Since when was there a cello solo in that piece?! Not only that, but it was being played by none other than their Leannia Guardian. Mikan almost jumped up from her seat in astonishment, but she managed to only minimize to a quiet gasp.

None of the spectators said a word even when the conductor dropped his hands, signaling the end of their performance.

It was only when the speakers turned on again did Mikan snap out of her supposed-trance.

"Thank you for listening to the performances. Please wait a few moments while the scores are being tallied. The results will be announced shortly."

Chatter rose amongst the area as the people waited (patiently or impatiently) for the results.

"Was that Ruka playing the cello solo?" Mikan asked, meaning to use that to start up a conversation rather than to actually receive a reply to her question.

"Yeah. He's one of the best musicians in our school," Youichi proudly stated (yet stoically) when he told his friends that. He fell back onto the soft grass. "I guess those were one of the better performances," he commented.

"'One of the better performances'?" Mikan quoted. "I think that was one of the _best_ performances I've ever heard in my life—_especially_ because it was a rearranged version of a famous classical piece."

"You probably didn't hear the little fumbles that the band did. I'm not complaining, but it wasn't the _best_ performance I've heard."

"It's a high school performance though, you can't possibly think that—"

"Thank you for your patience. The results will now be announced."

Mikan stopped in the middle of her reply to listen to the winners. She chanted "Leannia National High" over and over again in her mind for first place.

"In fourth place for bronze, Sunrise Valley High won with 76 points."

The three friends clapped along with the crowd.

"In third place for silver, Alice International High won with 78 points."

Mikan's stomach twisted in a knot.

"The runner-up, with 83 points, the winner of the gold trophy goes to Hurricane Hills High."

The claps in the audience got louder and louder, and now the Prellia Guardians stretched their senses to attentively hear the first place.

"The winner, with 94 points, the school who will receive the Platinum award and $2000, goes to…"

The brunette could hear the drumroll inside her mind.

"… Leannia National High!"

Mikan shot up from the ground and shouted, "WOOOO!"

The spectators shouted compliments into the air along with her, and the brunette clapped so hard, she stopped when she felt that her hands were going to bruise if she did anymore.

"A student from each school may now come up to claim their awards."

Mikan looked up at the stage, and each student did do so. The brunette chuckled, while the other two Guardians simply smiled when they saw a group of Leannia National High students push none other than the cello soloist—Ruka—up the steps to get the prize for the school. He hesitantly did so, and shook each judicator's hand with his prince-like smile before walking back down the steps with the large trophy. (The conductor collected the prize money of course).

The spectators got up to leave the vicinity, as the performances were over. The Prellia captain took this as the time to sprint up to the stage and meet with her elite-cello friend. She smiled wider when she realized that Youichi and Hotaru were running close behind her.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Mikan cried as she pounced onto the blond-haired lad, completely catching him off-guard and they toppled to the ground. Thank goodness the trophy was already being held by another member of the band...

"Ouch…" Mikan muttered. "Sorry~"

"No problem!" Ruka laughed at his friend's clumsiness, "And thanks!"

"You were so good!" Mikan cried to her Leannia friend.

"Yes, you were," a growl came from the opposing Prellia Guardian.

The two teens that were still on the ground glanced up at her. _"Why is she angry?"_

Mikan felt herself being pulled off of the blond-haired lad.

Hotaru pointed an accusing finger at the boy, before saying, "I see. This was all a rivalry to see who would get the louder applause."

The two captains sweatdropped.

"Huh?" Ruka couldn't understand what she was saying for a moment.

"Well, judging from the ratio, I guess… you win this round," Hotaru admitted as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side.

Ruka glanced bewildered at the violet-eyed girl in front of him. Realizing that it was her way of saying "good job", he beamed a smile at her.

"Thanks!"

"Hmm, this is an interesting development," Youichi stated in his usual tone to the Prellia captain standing beside him.

Mikan just responded with a light chuckle, and replied, "Yup."

"_That smile Ruka-kun gave, was quite different from the one he gave to others. Hotaru, aren't you lucky, you have a smile that's solely reserved for you~!"_

Mikan's mind then went to another boy.

"_Natsume, how are you doing right now?"_

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"What?" Tsubasa felt his world freeze before him. Misaki swore time just stopped momentarily. Natsume seemed indifferent, but the sudden news shocked him as well.

"Yeah, you heard me," Natsume replied. "Another Guardian disappeared."

"But… how is that possible? In Barrania? Are you _sure_, Natsume?" Misaki tried to confirm with her junior.

"Look." Natsume pointed to his computer screen. "I don't think the news reporters are joking. It's all over the news in Barrania, apparently."

"Perhaps we should go ba—"

"No, Tsubasa. We're staying here until we get this whole problem dealt with. If Natsume and Mikan—"

"Yes yes," Tsubasa interrupted. "I get it. Fine, we'll stay here for the time being. Do Mikan and the others know though?" The Annalia Guardians both turned their attention to the crimson-eyed boy, hoping that he'd be able to answer the question.

"How am I supposed to know whether or not they check the Barrania news? Cordellia is already too worked up over Aoi having disappeared." Natsume sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Narumi told me that they're planning on keeping the details of both disappearances confidential to the Guardians only, so that way it won't worry the citizens any further."

"Now, who's the one that just recently disappeared?"

"A Guardian named 'Shouda Sumire'."

"Oh, that girl with the cat-or-dog-or-whatever power. I always wondered how she could fight with that thing… I guess we now know the answer?" Tsubasa attempted to joke. The only responses he received were a glare and an irritated look. "Too early for a joke?"

"Just shut up, idiot," the other two teens retorted simultaneously.

"So what will we do then?" Tsubasa asked, clearly not obeying their command.

"I doubt that they're different perpetrators, so we have to somehow figure out the person's movements, _before_ they make their next move," Misaki commented as she read the article. "What do you think, Natsume?"

"There's nothing else we can do, is there." Natsume glanced up at the female Guardian as he got up from his seat.

"I wonder how the other Cordellia Guardians are doing, anyways."

"Don't know, don't care," Natsume replied emotionlessly.

"Liar," Tsubasa teased. "You're probably thinking about Mikan all day lo—" Natsume interrupted his senior by throwing a hard book to his head.

"I'm not an idiot like you," he muttered before he walked out of the headquarters.

"W-where are you going?!" Tsubasa hollered as he rubbed his head.

"Out."

"Can we—"

"No."

Tsubasa sighed in discontentment, while Misaki laughed a little harder than she should be.

"What's so funny?" Tsubasa asked.

"You, of course!" Tsubasa growled from his friend's statement.

"Thanks, Misaki…" The male Annalia Guardian rolled his eyes as he brushed dust off himself.

"Oh, and Natsume didn't _deny_ what you said, did he?" Misaki winked at her friend that was still on the ground. "Natsume has a crush~!" she shouted, purposely so that the Syannia Guardian could hear them down the hallway.

"No I do not, shut your mouth!"

_~Fourth Feather: Rival, End._

* * *

Hmm, this was a slightly longer chapter… but anyways! Please review! I hope to get at least** _two_** before the next update! Next chapter will be slightly darker. You'll see why when the chapter rolls along. ;) By the way, the song that Mikan and Hotaru sang was the ED of the Gakuen Alice anime (Shiawase no Niji), except in English. Again, credits are stated on our blog post (url on our profile).

Over and out!

Sakura-tan.


	5. Fifth Feather: Protect

**Writer:** Sakura-tan

**Editor:** Kyoko-tan

**Disclaimer: **-sigh- Fine. We don't own Gakuen Alice. It belongs to Tachibana Higuchi~

* * *

_~Fifth Feather: Protect_

* * *

_**SWOOM. CRACK. BOOM.**_

Those were the sounds heard from the training room on a May morning in Prellia. The sky, slightly downcast, kept most of the people indoors for the duration of the day. The clouds threatened to downpour later in the day after seven consecutive days of bright, warm weather.

Mikan and her friends took this time to train inside the training center of the Prellia Headquarters.

The Prellia's training center was slightly smaller, as stated previously. The walls had a much more elaborate design compared to the Leannia's training center. The mix of light green, purple and yellow floral designs covering the walls weren't too distracting, yet inviting. The ceiling, like the Leannia training center, was also made of glass, which was just recently cleaned by Mikan and her partner. The features of the training center were the same as of Leannia. At this moment, the floors were simply covered with mats, as they were working on technique.

"Hotaru! Straighten your back! Ruka, fly faster!" Mikan commanded them from the adjacent side of the training room. She plopped herself onto the bench and heaved a small tired sigh. Youichi walked up to her, noticing the small discontented sigh that came from her.

"Hey," Mikan started as she stretched.

"Sorry for being late," Youichi apologized with a bow.

Mikan stood up curtly and gave an embarrassed chuckle before saying, "Oh no worries!" It took more effort than usual to force a grin on her face. Today… it didn't seem as… natural. Youichi took that note into mind when he saw her forced smile. "I'm assuming it was band practice again?"

"Yeah," the Leannia Guardian replied. "Battle of the Bands is approaching soon, so all of our school bands are a little hectic."

"Ooh, can we go watch?" Mikan teased.

"Go ahead, it's free. It's at our school though, so it may be a little crowded." Youichi sat down beside the brunette. "How are Hotaru and Ruka doing?"

"They're getting better, of course. The two just need to improve more on close combat."

"As expected, since they're both long-ranged," Youichi replied as he sat back. He glanced back at the brunette, who had a solemn look on her face. That was quite unusual. He assumed that it may be the weather. It tends to bring people down sometimes.

The two sat contently in silence while Ruka and Hotaru continued training, both submerged in their own thoughts. The two would occasionally shout commands to the two friends that were working out, but for the most part, the captains had nothing else to say.

Soon enough, it was lunch time, and the captains offered to make the meal while the subordinates went to wash off.

"So, what should we make today?" Mikan asked as she tied her apron around her slim waist. "I feel like having pasta today…" she beamed a smile. Youichi raised a brow, noticing her distressed look once more when she did so. The smile wasn't the smile she usually gave. It was so much more… _fake_. It was as if she was… trying to _avoid_, or _forget_ something. Now he was starting to get a little suspicious.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll go prepare some tea."

"Okay!" Mikan then whisked away to the cupboards to get the noodles while Youichi went to another set of cupboards, thinking deeply about which tea to brew today.

A few minutes later, the two subordinates joined in, and they helped by setting up the table. Not long after, they were sitting and eating their pasta in peace. The two also noticed that Mikan was also being unusually quiet as well, but Hotaru told Ruka to let her be.

Amongst the silence they realized a large racking noise from above them. The four friends glanced up, wondering what was happening outside. The rain was hitting the glass ceiling violently. While most of them went back to their lunches, the brunette glanced up at the pouring rain through the glass roof sadly. Again, the Leannia captain noticed her distraught expression. He opened his mouth, about to ask what was wrong, but then closed it when he thought that it'd be a better idea to ask her in private.

The four friends cleaned up, and proceeded back to the training room, where it was Youichi and Mikan's turn for training.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

Mikan panted hard as she missed another punch on Youichi, again. Now the teens knew that something was wrong. Youichi couldn't tell her to stop though, because Mikan's eyes were clearly screaming at him not to.

"Mi—!" Youichi flew down as Mikan came at him with her dagger. He shot another black chain at her where the brunette managed to dodge nicely. Mikan then formed sharp dagger-shaped objects around her and blasted them all at the lad. Youichi swept down and flew behind the girl in almost lightning-speed, and aimed to hit her back. Mikan expecting this, clenched his wrist and threw him over her head. In return, the spirit-powered lad knocked her wrist with his wand to give him a moment to catch himself.

What he and the subordinates were not expecting was that the dagger would slip out of her hand, all the way down to the sandy earth below them.

The lad still in the air gave an expression of shock and question at the brunette, who was even more stunned than him. The two spectators below stared at the brunette, alarmed at what they had just witnessed.

"_What's wrong with Mikan?"_ two of the three friends thought. Ruka didn't notice Hotaru's solemn face as she stood beside him.

Mikan's eyes widened at her actions.

"_No… way…"_ Mikan said unbelievably in her mind. _"What's come over me…? I thought I got over all of this years ago…"_

Then, her brain reminded her that she was in the middle of a mock battle. She recovered and charged the glowing wind-like spheres around her once more despite her extreme fatigue and lack of concentration. The Leannia Guardian has stowed away his weapon now, knowing that Mikan was not at her best, _at all._ He didn't see the point of continuing if her mind was so distracted by something.

"Mikan, I think we shoul—Mikan!"

When Youichi saw Mikan launching the spheres towards him, he quickly noticed a few that went out of her control, and it was aiming for… her. Then he acted by impulse, and ran right towards the brunette, who was still oblivious to it.

He ran right in front of her, and took the hits. He felt the rapid force of the air shoving him against the wall that was closely behind him. That was when Mikan finally realized what had just happened. Youichi at first felt nothing, but then searing pain erupted in his body—not only the pain that was caused from the element, but the rough impact of his body against the hard surface. His vision quickly faded to darkness. The next thing he realized, his body was falling towards the earth meters below him, before he fell into unconsciousness.

"Youichi!" Mikan cried when she noticed what she had done. Horrified wasn't a strong enough word to explain the brunette's grief when she—as if in slow motion—saw Youichi's transformation undo itself, and he started falling.

"_Why? Why?!" _Mikan cried to herself in her mind as she flew as fast as she could towards the unconscious Leannia Guardian. She didn't notice the tears that were flowing out of her eyes as she clasped the Guardian's body and landed slowly onto the ground. Her legs collapsed on her, and she subconsciously undid her transformation.

"Mikan! Youichi!" Hotaru and Ruka called simultaneously, having witnessed what had just happened.

The Prellia captain brought Youichi's unconscious body closer towards her. "You idiot! Why did you do that?!" she hollered, as if the Leannia leader could hear her.

"Mikan…" Hotaru started. Although they did mock battles often, the powers were always so well controlled that this had never occurred. Even though they were free to use all of their weapons and magical abilities during mock battles, they were not actually intended to harm the opponent. Scratches and scrapes maybe, but not major injuries.

Especially like this.

"Youichi, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I should have listened to you and—"

"Mikan, calm down!" Hotaru gripped her partner's shoulders, and forced her to look in her violet eyes. "Mikan, we have a hospital room just around the corner, in case something like this happened. Let's go there, and then we can use the Nova technique."

"What…?" Mikan wiped her tears with her free hand. Ruka glanced worryingly at his captain. The blood started to seep through his shirt. He managed to stay calm though, listening to the conversation that the two Prellia Guardians were having.

"If the three of us use the Nova technique on him, that should be just enough to heal his wounds."

The brunette just gave a small nod, before Mikan gently handed the Leannia subordinate the unconscious lad, not even feeling confident that she could hold onto him on the walk to next door.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

_Exhausted_ didn't even describe how the three Guardians felt as they laid their heads on the occupied bed in the hospital room of the Prellia Headquarters.

The three had just used the Nova technique once again. This time though, they just performed it a level where none of them could achieve by themselves (unless one wanted to drive _themselves_ into unconsciousness for _days_).

Light bandages plastered Youichi's stomach and forearms as he laid asleep in the bed. The three friends all stayed over at the headquarters for the duration of his recovery. None wanted to go outside anyways, since it was still spitting outside. Hotaru told the other two that it may rain again later in the afternoon.

It wasn't for another few hours until the Leannia captain came into consciousness again.

Mikan was happy, she really was. The guilt couldn't suppress itself forever though, and it just overflowed when she saw the lad's eyes open.

"Youichi!" she called, attracting Hotaru and Ruka as well, who had dozed off into a small nap on the side of the room.

"What ha—" Youichi couldn't finish his question when the brunette embraced him tightly.

"I'm so, so, sooo sorry, Youichi! I don't know what came over me. I didn't realize the—"

"Oh shut up. I'm fine, so who cares," he replied with his typical demeanor as he broke the embrace.

Despite that, Mikan couldn't help but smile.

"Finally, an actual smile, Mikan." Youichi glanced at her stoically, having already sat up. The brunette gave a small chuckle.

The four friends didn't say anything for a little while. Hotaru, glancing at the brunette for a quick moment, elbowed the blond-haired Guardian on the side. He gave an annoyed expression, but then Hotaru gave him a serious look. Her eyed told him to play along with what she was about to do.

"I agreed to tutor Ruka in chemistry the other day, so we're going to be in the meeting room. We'll go prepare some dinner afterwards too." Hotaru then dragged the other subordinate out of the room.

"_Wait, I'm not even taking chemistry!"_ Ruka cried internally.

Mikan and Youichi glanced obliviously at the two friends who had just left the room. Youichi knew that his partner hadn't taken that course since freshman year. He just kept that thought to himself though. The two teens still in the hospital room sat in an awkward silence until Mikan spoke up.

"Four years ago today was when my dad died."

Youichi''s head shot up to the hazel-eyed girl. He wasn't expecting this, even though he should have known that something like this was what was swarming around her mind since this morning.

His breathing hitched, and he noticed the loud racking of the pouring rain hitting against the window once more.

"He died, protecting me."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

_**Four years ago, Yukihira Household**_

"Yukihira Mikan!" a young woman's stern voice was heard once more on the main floor. She didn't hear a reply after she called her daughter for what was probably the fourth time. She was still crept upstairs in her room. She sighed. "I guess you don't want to talk to your dad on the phone then…"

Shortly after, she heard feet rush down the steps.

"Dad?" Mikan glanced excitedly at her mom.

"Yes, Mikan. He's on the phone right now, and wants to talk to you." The mom then heard a small chuckle over the handset. She put her ear to it. "What's so funny?"

"_Oh nothing, Yuka. You were just stating the obvious there…"_

"Oh be quiet, _Izumi,_" she grunted before she handed the telephone to her daughter, who gleamed with delight.

The mother and daughter hadn't seen the man of the household for a couple weeks. He was away on a business trip. Although his work didn't usually involve a lot of travels, his current project included him being away for a couple weeks.

"Dad!" Mikan hollered into the phone gleefully. "Are you coming home soon?"

"_Yup. How are you doing, sweetie?" _

"Good! I drew a picture of a bouquet of flowers for mom for Mother's day. She liked it a lot, and she stuck it onto the fridge door."

"_That's great! I can't wait to see it when I get home."_

"Yep! When are you coming back?"

"_Tomorrow night. I won't be back until around really late though. You might be asleep already."_

"That's okay. I can just stay up until you get home!"

"_Don't you have school the next day though?"_

"That's okay. I don't think my teacher will mind if I miss that day anyways!" Mikan hollered back with confidence, as if it were nothing to worry about.

Yuka just sweatdropped at her daughter simplicity. To be honest though, she wouldn't mind if she wanted to stay home that day to see her father when he gets back. Mikan hadn't missed a day of school yet. She'll just tell Mikan to ask Hotaru to bring back her work.

"_I'm not sure if your mom with particularly agree with that, Mikan. How about this, I'll pick you up from school, and on the weekend after we can go to your favorite bakery store and buy a cake."_

"Oooh, I like that idea!" Mikan started jumping up and down in excitement. Again, Yuka sweatdropped at her daughter's reaction. She couldn't tell what her husband said through the phone, but no doubt was it something about that bakery store that Mikan always dragged them into whenever they passed it.

"Yes, I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" The young preteen gave another few more responses before she passed the phone back to her mom. "Dad wants to talk to you now!"

Yuka nodded before she put the phone to her ear, "Yes?"

"_I'll be back by 4am there. Is there anything that you or Mikan would want from here?"_

Yuka brought her hand to her chin, deep in thought. Then, she thought of a possible souvenir.

"Oh, can you buy me a snowglobe from there?" she replied. Yuka tensed when she heard a small teasing chuckle through the phone. "What?"

"_Yuka, it's mid-spring right now. Why do you want a snowglobe?"_ Izumi asked playfully. _"You're a season too late. Not to mention that it's approaching summer so—"_

"I like collecting them, okay?" Yuka puffed her cheeks in irritation. "They last long, and look nice anywhere!"

"_Yes yes,"_ Izumi laughed, causing his wife to give a small growl over the phone, _"here, I'll find a snowglobe that doesn't have _snow_."_

"Isn't that just a globe then?"

"_Well, it'll have something that's suited for this season, at least. Enough about what _you _want though!"_

Yuka's eye twitched.

"_What does Mikan want?"_

Yuka then snapped out from her irritated attitude, and reverted back to her motherly mode. She turned to the brunette, who decided to bake something in their kitchen. Yuka didn't bother asking what it was she was cooking. Although she was a preteen, she wasn't stupid and was pretty wise at handling the appliances in the kitchen.

"Mikan, do you want dad to bring anything back?" she asked, promptly dropping the phone from her ear.

"Hmm…" Mikan brought her finger to her chin, tapping on it in thought. Then, it was as if a lightbulb went off in her head. "Yes! I want him to bring back some piano sheet music!" Despite the fact that she had started just a few weeks ago, the brunette enjoyed it.

Yuka then brought the phone back to her ear, replying curtly, "Did you hear that?"

"_Yup. There's no problem with that. I think there's a music store just around here… Your request is not as simple though…"_

"Just go to a stinking dollar store!" Yuka exasperated, "I don't want something extravagant!"

"_Yeah, I know. There just aren't a lot of dollar stores around here…"_

Yuka couldn't help but facepalm at her husband's comment. From the lack of stores there, or just simply how he said it, she didn't know.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"And then, we went on the large waterslide. Anna pushed Nonoko down it!" Mikan happily retold her field trip to the waterpark that day. "It was so fun!"

Izumi and Yuka laughed joyfully with their daughter.

"How did the lifeguards react though? You know they're quite strict," Izumi asked as he attempted to snag a strawberry from the top of the cake. Yuka playfully slapped his hand.

"Well, they were quite mad. They yelled at Anna for doing that, and going all 'what if she got injured' blah blah blah."

"How about you and Hotaru?"

"Oh, Hotaru and I were just in line laughing. Well, she wasn't really 'haha that's so funny!'-like laughing, but you know what I mean." Mikan didn't take her eyes off of the slice of cake that her mom had cut and passed to her. "Thanks!" Mikan grabbed a fork from the small plate of utensils that they laid out on the table.

"No problem. It's nice to hear that you all enjoyed it. I thought Hotaru would be too nervous to go on the slides though, since she doesn't seem like the person particularly fond of water…"

"Oh really? She actually really enjoyed the slides the most out of all of the rides we were on," Mikan commented as she scooped a small piece of cake into her mouth. "Mmmm…" she closed her eyes in delight.

She personally chose the cake herself: a strawberry ice cream cake. It had a small layer of vanilla and fudge ice cream in between two larger layers of strawberry ice cream. At the top, it had an elegant swirl of chocolate and a cluster of strawberries in the middle.

It wasn't too sweet, but not too plain either. It was perfect. She wanted to try this cake for months. They decided to buy this for the occasion of Mother's Day, even though it was already a week ago.

… And obviously, celebrating her dad's return after not seeing him for two weeks.

When they finished, they put the leftover cake into the freezer (it was an ice cream cake after all!), and cleaned up. While her parents were chatting, Mikan's eyes drifted to the shiny, chestnut colored grand piano sitting in the corner of the living room. They just bought it recently, and she hadn't missed a day of practicing on it since they did.

An idea popped into her mind.

"Dad! Can we play the piano music you brought back?"

"Sure honey," the dad replied as he got up from the couch. He grabbed a simple plastic bag from his backpack, and brought it to the piano. He took out the sheet music.

"_**Top 100 Classical Music Pieces on the Piano"**_, was the title. Mikan, still new to the piano, didn't know much about the classics. She just simply glanced through the pages, awing at the notes and complexity of many of them.

… Why did her dad buy this? She was still a beginner!

"Uhh dad, I can't play any of these, sorry to burst your bubble." Mikan gave an embarrassed chuckle, with a sweatdrop hung over her head.

"Oh no worries, you will be able to. Here, if you go back a page, is Canon in D Major."

Yuka almost spat out the water she was drinking.

"_Don't tell me that he is thinking about…!"_

"That was the song that Yuka and I had on our wedding day."

"_He _was_ thinking about it…" _Yuka sighed before she brought the cup towards to her mouth again.

"Ooh!" Mikan put the book onto the stand in front of her, and glanced at the notes. "Can you teach me how to play it?" Her eyes gleamed in excitement.

Yukihira laughed before replying, "Sure, honey."

He sat down on the bench as well, beside his daughter. He told her where to put her fingers, and when to use the petal. He ushered her on the proper posture, and how to give the piece a stronger effect.

Soon enough, Mikan couldn't go any longer as her fingers started hurting. As well, she was starting to get worse with her playing. That was a clear sign to stop.

"How about you two go buy some take-out? I have to stop by Imai's place to pick something up," Yuka responded as she glanced at her watch. It was 6 already, but it was still bright outside. The transitioning seasons from spring to summer has its wonderful advantages.

"Sure!" Mikan responded as she hopped off the piano bench. "What do you want us to buy?"

"You two can choose. Noodles maybe? There's a nice take-out restaurant down past the hill across from here."

"Okay!" Mikan hollered in glee as she ran to the front door. She slipped on her shoes and ran outside the house, her dad treading along.

"See you later, sweetie." Yukihira kissed his wife on the forehead before walking after their daughter.

"See you later," Yuka happily responded.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"And then, we can invite Hotaru, Anna and Nonoko to our house! It will be so much fun!" Mikan suggested to her dad. He just simply sweatdropped.

"You know Mikan, your birthday is more than 6 months away still. You may change your mind as it gets closer to the date…"

"Then maybe we can have two birthday bashes?" Mikan teased. "_That_ idea won't change!"

"Yes yes, we'll see if we're bankrupt or not by then," Yukihira joked back as he gave the lighter bag of good to his daughter, and held onto the heavier ones. They paid and left the honey restaurant, and embarked back home.

As it was May, the color of the flowers were in bloom. Mikan noticed the beautifully bloomed cherry blossoms on the trees as they walked down the sidewalk, about to hit an intersection. She could still notice some small buds despite the time of the year.

"Dad, what's your favorite flower?" Mikan asked innocently.

"Hmm…" he thought for a moment before replying. "I guess I like cherry blossoms the most. How about you Mikan?"

"I like them too!" Mikan replied as they stopped at an intersection, waiting for the signal to walk.

While they were waiting, her eyes caught a stand selling the exact flowers they were talking about. They were still small buds, and were perfect the décor for their kitchen. They will bloom perfectly in time as it gets warmer.

"Dad, can we go and buy some?" Mikan pointed to the stand. "I'll buy it with my allowance!"

"Oh, sure Mikan." Yukihira and Mikan walked to the booth, and they bought a small bouquet. Mikan set down the takeout (her dad's hands were full) on the ground and happily gave the cashier their payment before leaving.

It wasn't until they were walking across the street when Mikan realized she forgot to pick the food back up from the ground.

Impulsively, she ran back down the street to grab it.

"Mikan?!" Yukihira commented in surprise as his daughter turned back down the street. His eyes just saw the walking signal turn to a stop-signal. The dad, rapidly noticing that the driver hadn't noticed his daughter running back across the street, ran towards her.

"Mikan!" Yukihira cried just before he embraced her and the screeching of tires was heard.

Mikan was momentarily stunned as she was pushed down towards the ground, darkness enveloping her. Her eyes were open in shock, but why were her surroundings black?

… The familiar scent of her dad, and the warmth of his body over her made her come out of her state of shock.

Wait, why was she lying down on the road, with her dad over her?

… Why was she hearing cries of people, and footsteps running towards them?

… Why did the metallic and dark colors of blood engulf her senses?

Mikan was frozen on the ground, unable to move. Her dad wasn't budging either, she realized. It was only when her dad's body was gently lifted off from her did she snap back into her senses, only for a mere few seconds.

"Are you okay young lady? Don't worry, the medics will be here soon," the voice of an older man reassured her.

"_What?_" was all Mikan was thinking before she turned to her dad.

Her eyes widened in horror.

His blood was splattered on the ground, even on her clothes. He was lying still—too still—on the road, the food that they bought were scattered all around the scene. Glass and pieces of metal was amongst the mess as well, which was from the car that had hit a vacant bus stop.

"_What's going on?!"_ The still confused Mikan glanced at her dad's body. She didn't realize that she was still weakly gripping onto the bouquet of flowers, which were damaged slightly from the impact when her dad had thrown her to the ground to protect her.

_To protect her._

Finally, everything slowly started piecing together, one by one.

The wreckage of the car… her dad's unconscious body on the floor… being protected by her dad…

The truth finally hit her, hard.

"Dad!" she cried in pain. Not that she was really physically hurt, but she felt as if her insides were deliberately pulled out from her. "Daddy!" she screamed as her tears poured down in buckets. She didn't even have the energy to shake him. Mikan still had _some_ rationality in her mind that she'd probably make his condition worse by doing so anyways."Daddy!"

She repeated it over and over again, not stopping even when the emergency personnel came and gently laid him on the stretcher. She covered her face with her hands, the tears easily dripping through the edges onto the ground.

One of them came over and put a warm towel over her, despite the fact that it wasn't that cool outside. The same person picked her up and brought her into the ambulance with them. He simply rubbed her back to help ease her pain, whispering words of reassurance.

She didn't notice the bouquet of flowers that laid limply in the bloodshed, the petals scattered.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Mikan, please, just eat something," a motherly voice was heard through the door.

She had already changed out of her black dress, the stockings and gloves of the same color were thrown to the side. Her hat was hidden in her closet, hoping that she never had to wear it again.

The only articles that remained from this morning's event was the gold ring that laid on her ring finger.

"Mikan, please," her voice was breaking as the overwhelming emotions starting coming over her too. "Your dad wouldn't want to see you like this," she just barely managed to say before tears came out of her already-red and swollen eyes.

No reply came from her daughter's bedroom. Yuka knew that she had no choice, so she opened Mikan's bedroom door.

That was when her daughter ran to her, and hugged her tightly.

Apart from Yuka, Mikan still hadn't changed out of her black clothing. Despite the dark color, Yuka still noticed the splotches of salt water on it.

"Mom, it was all my fault! If I hadn't run across the street like that, he wouldn't have had to protect me. He wouldn't have died! I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm—"

"Mikan, it wasn't your fault!" Yuka cried. "The driver wasn't looking, and when he did it was too late. Didn't the officials tell us? He was texting, and had too much alcohol in his system when he was driving."

"But, but—!"

"No, Mikan, it wasn't your fault," Yuka repeated, her voice now firm. She had stopped crying, and knelt down to her daughter's eye level. "Dad would never, _ever_ want you to put the blame of this whole thing on yourself. Heck, he wouldn't even want the blame to be put on the driver."

Mikan didn't say anything, and just glanced at her mother.

"Mikan, you haven't been to school for two weeks now. Hotaru said that everyone is worried. She wants to know if you want to go over to her house and play."

"I…" Mikan hesistated. She _did_ feel that she hadn't seen her friend in a long while.

"She said that the teachers don't want to load you with work while you're going through this tough time, so they told Hotaru to pass onto you that they'll help you catch up when you're ready."

"Mhmm," Mikan mumbled as another stream of tears started slowly treaded down her red cheeks.

"Do you want to go see Hotaru? Maybe getting some fresh air will make you feel better."

Mikan gave a small nod. Yuka flashed a small smile and rubbed her head.

"Let's go then."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Oh, Mikan, I forgot to give this to you a couple days ago when you came over." Hotaru handed her a large card shortly afterwards. Mikan glanced at the front.

"_**To Mikan! Get Well Soon!"**_

The brunette smiled happily as she opened the card. Long notes from each of her classmates—and even students from other grades, teachers that she never heard of—had written on it. It was filled; she could even see some noted overlapping one another (thank goodness she could read them all fine though).

"Thank you," Mikan responded quietly. She set it onto the side as she brought her hands up onto the piano again, playing the piece that her dad taught her.

Although slowly, she was starting to recover from the incident. She came out of her room, and started to talk more frequently with her friends from school. However, she still hadn't gone back to school yet, as she didn't feel ready yet.

In a sense, she also wanted to stay at home to console her mom too. Because the only person making the income for the family had passed away, she had been going to countless interviews for a full-time job. Mikan decided to help her mom with the chores at home, and helped prepare food for the both of them. Hotaru's parents helped out as well during this tough time.

Mikan stopped playing as she glanced at the time. It was almost lunch time. She got up, and went to the kitchen with Hotaru to help prepare food.

"Hmm, how about pie today?" she asked herself as she and her friend got down to work. Hotaru grabbed two aprons and they slipped it on.

As they waited for the pies they made to bake in the oven, the brunette glanced at the cherry blossoms on the counter. Her mood turned into a somber one, as Hotaru glanced at her worryingly.

"Are you okay, Mikan?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Mikan didn't tear her eyes away from the flowers. Then, an idea popped into her mind.

At the same time, the two preteens heard the door close, signaling Yuka's arrival back home.

"I'm back! Are you two okay?" she called as she walked into the kitchen. She inhaled deeply, as she set her bag down on the chair. "Hmm, do I smell pie?"

"Yep! Hotaru and I made it from scratch!"

"Ooh, I can't wait to try it!"

"Us too!" Mikan hollered, but then remembered what she was going to ask her mom. "Mom, I have a question."

"Yes honey?" Yuka took off her jacket, which revealed her formal suit that she had worn for another interview.

"Do I have a middle name?"

"Eh?" Yuka was surprised at the sudden, not to mention _random_, question. "No, why?"

"Can I have one?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

"I want it to be 'Sakura'. When people ask me for my name, I want to tell them 'Sakura Mikan', instead of 'Yukihira Mikan'."

"Uhh, why?" Yuka glanced at her in confusion. "Do you not like 'Yukihira'?"

"No, I do! That's why I didn't request to change my _last_ name!" Mikan joked. Hotaru and Yuka chuckled lightly as well. "It's just that… I want dad's favorite flower in my name."

"All right, Mikan. That's fine with me. We have some paperwork to fill out though." Yuka smiled. Although she would question more on the somewhat-strange request, at this moment, she was just happy enough that her daughter was getting back to her old, bubbly self. "I'm going to go change, this thing isn't all that comfortable."

She proceeded up the stairs, leaving the two girls down on the main floor.

"Hotaru, my name is Sakura Mikan!" Mikan laughed.

Suddenly, a burst of light appeared between them, shocking the two.

"Eh?" was all Mikan could mutter as the light slowly formed a feather. Hotaru gasped.

"Mikan, the feather…"

Mikan didn't respond, but she simple reached out for the pure-white feather in front of her. When she grabbed it, a light enveloped her, and an explosion of energy flooded her.

Hotaru was temporarily in shock when the light disappeared. What was left, were a pair of wings on Mikan's back, and the feather attached to her right wrist. A silver ring was clasped on her middle finger.

"Eh?" Mikan looked at what had happened. "EEEHHH?!"

The surprised holler sent Yuka bolting downstairs.

"Mikan, what's wro—" The mother stood frozen at the kitchen entrance, her eyes wide in surprise.

Hotaru had the same frozen position as the mom, and Mikan was examining everything.

"Mikan's… a Guardian?" the two both commented, astonished.

"Why me~!" she cried. Hotaru gave a small chuckle.

Neither of the two noticed Yuka's hand tighten on her upper-forearm. She gave a sad smile. She glanced back up when the usually quiet girl spoke.

"… I'm a Guardian too," Hotaru admitted before she transformed as well, the same pair of wings formed on her back as well. Her feather was pure white, indicating that her claim was true.

"EH?!" Mikan cried in astonishment.

"That's amazing!" Yuka clapped her hands. "We found the two Guardians of Prellia! Not only that, but Mikan has an elemental power!"

"_Why me…!"_ Mikan inwardly cried.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

_**Prellia Headquarters, Present time**_

"So Hotaru was a Guardian before you… interesting…" Youichi muttered.

"Yeah, I was really shocked when she told me. Afterwards, my mom told us that we shouldn't tell anyone else, for the safety of the people around us." Mikan didn't look up from her lap.

She went back on topic.

"But yeah, Hotaru and my mom helped me a lot when I went through this time. I usually don't get this distracted by it, but I couldn't help but think about it today when I thought of Natsume."

Youichi glanced at her in confusion, and couldn't say anything but, "Huh?"

"In a sense, I guess I'm sort of sympathizing with him... I know how it feels to lose a loved one. I just wonder though, how he's going to get through this period of time, especially since he can't tell anyone about the fact that his sister _disappeared_. This is why I don't like the fact that we can't tell anyone that we're Guardians…"

"Mikan, Natsume's strong, that's for sure. Plus, he has Misaki and Tsubasa-senpai with him, who are Guardians. Don't you remember? Misaki told us that they have known him and Aoi for some period of time in the past. I think he can confide with them more than he can with us."

"Mhmm," Mikan agreed. _"Now that you think of it that way…"_

The brunette stood up slowly from her seat.

"Youichi, do you want to come to my dad's grave with me? Well, I'm going to ask Hotaru and Ruka as well, so…"

"Sure," he replied without a moment's hesitation.

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

"Dad, I made a lot of new friends these past couple of months. They are Guardians, just like me! I told Youichi, a Leannia Guardian about what happened four years ago. Hotaru said that she told Ruka what happened. Ruka is also a Leannia Guardian. We met them when we learned about the disappearance of a Syannia Guardian. That's when I met Natsume-kun, the remaining Syannia Guardian whose sister was the Syannia Guardian that disappeared."

The other three friends didn't speak as they continued glancing at the grave.

"When we tried to help him, we bumped into the Annalia Guardians. Misaki and Tsubasa are their names. They seem like an old couple," Mikan joked slightly. "We've temporarily parted from them, but I know that we'll meet them again. Until then, I hope to become better friends with my new friends that are by my side right now."

Mikan set down a bundle of cherry blossom flowers onto the grave.

"Continue to watch over us, ne?" she concluded, before the four of them left the grave site.

A figure hiding behind a tree smiled sadly. She just coincidentally came to the grave site just moments after they did. Not wanting to interrupt them, she decided to stay hidden until they left.

She slowly came out of her hiding spot, and walked to her husband's grave, and set down another bouquet of cherry blossoms.

"Did you hear what she said, honey? She's got her own circle of friends that she can fully confide with now, since they're all Guardians. Her circle of friends is just getting bigger, as she explores deeper into the journey of being a Guardian."

Yuka's happier mood became sadder.

"I'm… worried, Izumi. You're probably as worried as I am about what's to come, but I have to just get that admittance out there. Just… continue to watch over us, okay?" Yuka's hand subconsciously rubbed over her gold ring on her ring finger as she stood up. "Bye Izumi, for now. I love you."

~ASF|G.S (S-T)~

The Syannia Guardian walked into his bedroom, and turned on the lamp on his bedside table. The room that once was dark brightened.

He sat on his bed, and snatched the first book off from the pile on his table. He had found another few books from the library in his headquarters.

As he opened the book, he took out a notepad from the drawer of his bedside table, and a pen.

He usually managed to get through three-to-four books a night. Tonight was going to be no different. The crimson-eyed lad quickly glanced up at the clock.

'_**11:42pm'**_, was printed in its red, digital letters.

"_It's a little later than usual, but I guess it's time to get down to work,"_ he thought.

One book after another, he took notes on and brushed off to the side when he was done. Finally, he was on his last book of the night.

He looked at the front. Strangely, it didn't have a title. The black hardcover was just blank, void from any words. That was… bizarre.

"_Might as well look inside it, it doesn't hurt,"_ Natsume thought simply to himself. As he glanced through it, his eyes widened when he flipped the page.

"… What?" He outwardly gasped. "That's… impossible…"

Although his heart pleaded not to go on, his mind ushered him to. He flipped the page and read it.

He gave a deep, exhausted sigh and glanced up to the ceiling.

"_Is… this the only way…?"_

_~Fifth Feather: Protect, End_

* * *

Just as an fyi to you readers, yes I have everything planned, so I know what I'm doing. XD; I wonder how much of a contrast this chapter was to the previous one, which was much more… light-hearted as opposed to this one. Sort of. xP

Anyhow, I would like at least _**2**_reviews before I update! The next chapter will be a little more lighthearted, like the fourth feather… in a way. Don't worry, I'll try to keep it as interesting. q_q

Over and out!

- Sakura-tan, goldenstarlight at wordpress (url on profile).

PS. Yes the Natsume x Mikan fluff will come eventually. (Soon enough, soon enough!)


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